Lost Youth
by Archer83
Summary: When a mission to a Star Lab research base goes horribly wrong, the Young Justice team is separated and presumed dead. But the truth is far more complicated than anyone could ever guess as certain team members find themselves in an entirely new version of reality.  (AU, rated M to be safe.)
1. Sacrifices

Lost Youth by: Archer83 and Vergil1989 The Crossover King

Summary: When a mission on a Star Lab research base goes horribly wrong, the Young Justice team is separated, presumed dead, but the truth is far more complicated than anyone could ever guess as certain team members find themselves in an entirely new version of reality. (AU, rated T for now.)

Disclaimer: Archer 83; Young Justice and Mass Effect do not belong to us. But we really really wish they did...

Vergil1989; Just our messed up imaginations unfortunately are the only thing that is ours and you can't sue us for those. :P Wouldn't get anything for those anyway lol.

Authors' Notes: This story is obviously going to be heavily AU in nature, especially for the first chapter which is focused on Young Justice. I honestly can't tell you exactly how we came up with this idea, it just more or less came out of a conversation Vergil and I were having one night. Since no one had ever attempted this idea before, (On FF at least) we thought we'd take it as a writing challenge and give it a try ! Hopefully the result will we an interesting and highly enjoyable story for all our readers! Now, Vergil and I proudly present to you our latest literary insanity!

Story Key:

"Dialogue"

_"_Mental_ Dialogue"_

_Thoughts_

'Radio communications/comms devices/etc'

**Chapter 1: Sacrifices**

**Washington D.C., S.T.A.R. Labs research base.**

**September 29th, ****18:00 EST (2011)**

"Gotta say doc, this isn't very whelming at all... Where's all the cool stuff, like the light sabers and phasers?!" Wally West, more commonly known as Kid Flash, said with obvious disappointment in his voice to Dr. Wesker as he guided their group around the secret S.T.A.R. Labs facility. A grinning Wally was stunned by a quick slap to the back of his head moments later from Artemis. _"__Ouch! what the heck was that for?!"_

_"_Hey_ Wally, why don't you just do us a favor and shut up for five minutes?" _Artemis asked, although no one but the team knew she had said anything. The mental link that everyone's favorite martian had established for the team before walking in the front door as guests would make things a lot simpler. Unless they came up against Simon or someone with powers like his anyway, chances were good they wouldn't. Luckily this was a simple investigative mission since it seemed someone was stealing technology and hazardous materials out of the labs. For what purpose no one knew, but that's what the Justice League wanted answers to since they were busy with yet another insane plot to conquer the world in, of all places, Australia, the 'sidekicks' had been called in.

Miss Martian had to suppress a chuckle at the thought Robin had inadvertently sent out to everyone since it wasn't the same 'stuff', different day for her per say. Nothing the rest of them usually took for granted had failed to amaze or confuse the curious young alien girl. _"__Be nice to Kid Flash, he's just easily excited. Being able to visit STAR Labs without having to blast our way through is a nice change of pace."_

_"_I_ would have liked the 'blast our way through' option better." _Super Boy thought, and some of the team wholeheartedly agreed with him since they were bored to tears already. Still, he wasn't about to start a fight just for that reason, not yet anyway. They had a job to do, and he knew better than anyone that rushing in half blind could only lead to disaster. It didn't change the fact that he felt better in a fight however, just that he was willing to play _detective _as long as it didn't take too long. The brains in their group were already splitting up, looking for anything that would lead them to where the thieves were hiding or at least what they were planning if nothing else.

_"_We_ should focus on the task at hand and not on childish banter. Super Boy, Kid Flash, Zatanna and Aqua Lad will go with Dr. Wesker and see if you can figure out anything by going over what's been stolen already. Artemis, Miss Martian, you're with me; I want to interview the lab techs for a while, but I'd rather not go in alone since for all we know this was an inside job." _Robin 'thought' spoke in reply, not needing to explain that for all they knew they were walking into a trap already. Batman's paranoia was starting to rub off on Robin, but it had saved their lives more than once already so they weren't about to question his decision as they split up.

_"_Nice to see you picked the best people for the job boss. Adios!" Kid Flash smirked as he zipped away, catching up with their tour guide while Robin wondered why he bothered at times. A reassuring hand on his shoulder however from Aqua Lad pushed those doubts aside as the Atlantean joined up with the group ahead a moment later.

"_How he is still breathing is beyond me..." _Artemis 'said' to her two remaining partners. That was a mystery to Robin as well, but it would have to wait until later since the job still needed to be done.

_"_Is_ there something wrong with the atmosphere in this building? We should warn them! Oh...that was a joke?" _Miss Martian asked, after she realized the looks she was receiving from both Robin and Artemis screamed 'are you serious?!' at her. M'gann had yet to master the strange concept of humor that everyone, except Connor, seemed to understand instantly. She felt her cheeks turn a shade of red at the realization, but it disappeared almost as quickly.

_"_We_ should get going, preferably before KF decides he needs another souvenir. I don't want us to end up with a container of anti-matter on his trophy shelf." _Artemis's 'comment' earned a small smile from everyone within M'gann's telepathic range, even Wally had to suppress a chuckle even though that had been directed at him. _"__Shut up Wally!" _Artemis tried to come off as imposing, but it didn't work out so well since she rarely had anything nice to say about him.

_"_Anything_ to make you happy Short Fuse, so should I start now? Or maybe in ten minutes...or tomorrow? Whatever time is good for you!" _The entire group mentally groaned at Wally's all too familiar antics.

_"_Please_ let me shoot him, just let me pin him to the ground. I promise I won't hit any vital organs...on purpose." _Oddly enough, that thought seemed to do the trick as the speedster suddenly went quieter than a door knob.

It certainly put a smile back on Robin's face as they started their questioning. He quickly ruled out the chances of the thefts being an inside job by the time an hour passed and they hadn't turned up anything relevant to fit that suspicion of his, but they had come up with a few things at least. One of them seemed the most promising, but of course it also just had be to the most dangerous of the projects the scientists had been working on. Aqua Lad and the rest of the team returned with the head researcher a short time later, with a possible plan for some kind of black hole related device.

_"Does this look like the black hole device that Vandall Savage used to alter time before we showed up, by chance?"_ Robin pointed out his suspicions to his less technical minded companions. _"It looks like the scientists here were trying to build something similar for a faster than light ship drive...seriously? Have these people never seen Event Horizon? Black holes equal bad things happen. Wait a second..." _

The archives they'd been given access to had listed every mission that the Justice League had ever been a part of, even the ones that had possible timeline repercussions and alternate realities thrown into the mix, just to complicate things further. One of them had had their least loved villain, Vandal Savage, making a black hole powered device that had allowed him to change the past and alter the future dramatically. If not for a Green Lantern's ring being in use at the time, the entire Justice League would have ceased to exist when the device was initially activated.

Having a rather bad idea come to mind, Robin had started to re-arrange and re-assemble the design specs on his suit's mini computer. Something didn't seem so simple this time and it wasn't until he came up with an entirely new schematic that he realized just how royally screwed they were.

_"Do these people ever learn?! Black holes equal bad, bad, BAD, yet they still feel the insane need to tinker with them! Wait a second...is it just me or does that look like a timer to you guys?" _Robin asked as he pointed to a certain part on the schematics they had been able to put together from the list of materials they'd been given._ "Please tell me Batman's been rubbing off on me and say I'm being overly paranoid."_

_"You're not paranoid, today at least. Someone is planning to build a black hole bomb..." _Zatanna wasn't anywhere near as tech savvy as some of the others, but even she knew what a timer looked like and the digital readout on display wasn't easy to miss once you recognized it for what it was. _"Who would be insane enough to want to destroy the whole planet?!"_

_"Oh man we are so whelmed if that thing goes off!" _Robin had summed up the situation rather succinctly since if that thing went off, Earth would be destroyed in a matter of minutes. They needed to find it, and fast. There was no way that this was just a case of simple tech parts going missing now, someone wanted the Earth gone, plain and simple. That kind of insanity needed to be stopped as quickly as possible.

_"Have you found the location of this device Robin? Perhaps it is close by? After all, the parts and materials haven't been missing for more than a couple of days, and they were stolen in bulk." _Aqua Lad said, hoping that the device was close, but for all they knew it was on the other side of the globe.

_"Luckily some of the parts will give off a noticeable radiation signature that can be tracked. I'm trying to get a lock now. Oh crap...if my math is right, and it always is, the half life of these isotopes, when put together, only gives us a couple hours maximum. They've had the materials for too long as it is, so for all we know we're too late already." _Robin only needed a few seconds to calibrate his suit's computer system to start tracing the materials used in the black hole bomb's construction. It didn't take him long after that to start following the trail the device's components gave off. Finding the bomb itself took a little longer since the device had been assembled in a warehouse a few blocks away from the lab.

A few minutes later, they had raced over to the location Robin provided them with, a nondescript looking storage building. "Well, the boring part is over with, at least I get to fight today." Connor grinned widely but one look from Robin stopped him from charging in. He scowled but didn't protest since he understood the need to plan ahead. Even so, a fight was looking likely, and it put Connor in a less brooding mood.

_"Miss M, you sneak in and get us the lay of the land. I don't want any surprises. Super Boy, you'll be hitting the front along with Aqua Lad. Cause as much havoc and chaos as you can. Artemis, Zatanna, see if you can either contain them or disrupt their communications in any way. We have to be sure they don't detonate that bomb. KF and I will go in through the back and try to get to the bomb itself ASAP."_

Miss Martian phased through the solid wall in front of them and then reappeared less than two minutes later with a concerned look on her face. _"Judging from the outfits and the hardware they are packing, it is under heavy guard. Kobra guards... and I think I saw their leader. I'll try to locate the bomb." _M'gann's reply wasn't what Robin wanted to hear at all as she phased back inside the warehouse a moment later. There would not be a second chance, especially with the Cult of Kobra running this show.

_"_That_ explains who we're up against, but why would Kobra be willing to destroy the entire world?!" _Artemis thought as she comically, under most circumstances, waved her arms in the air towards the rest of the team.

_"You're right Artemis...it doesn't make any sense! Why would they do something so suicidal?! ...Unless they have a way out..." _That wouldn't surprise Robin in the least since they had the genius or the insanity to make a black hole bomb. It wouldn't take much to colonize a new world and shape it in their own image as they saw fit. _"__I'm going to try to do a scan for any zeta-beam or boom tube tech, but it might be something more traditional like a hidden spaceship for all we know. In the meantime, the plan remains the same."_

A moment later, the six of them almost jumped as M'gann practically shouted in their minds. _"__I found it! The device is near the north western corner of the building in a sealed off area. It's a lot smaller than I imagined actually-"_

_"How many guards around the device? How well armed are they? Is the bomb itself armed and counting down? These are the things we need to know right now. Now M'gann!" _Robin didn't like to yell at his friends but time was literally not on their side. The fate of the world hung on them and he wasn't about to go down without a fight.

_"Fourteen guards directly around the device; they mostly have rifles, a couple have heavier weapons. It looks operational, ten minutes and forty two seconds left on the timer. There's zeta beam platforms in the back of the warehouse; that's their way out." _At least they had a little breathing room, but that didn't leave them any time to call in reinforcements from the League or any of their allies. It seemed the fate of the world once again rested on their shoulders alone. _"__I'm going to try and get a closer look at the device."_

_"Alright Miss M, recon only. Just be careful in there." _Robin's scan of the area had confirmed her recon on that point, but he still didn't like their odds. Even so, they weren't going to stand by and let Kobra get away with this if they could help it as Robin stood and looked towards the warehouse. New determination was clear in his voice as he gave the order. "_Let's hope they don't activate the bomb ahead of schedule. Move in, everyone move in now!"_

Robin kicked in the rear entrance as Kid Flash raced ahead of him to disable as many guards as possible between their tech expert and the bomb. Super Boy and Aqua Lad had already started raising Hell in the front of the building, drawing off many of the other enemies guarding the rest of the place. Explosions could be heard as the two heavy hitters tore into the enemy ranks with all they had. The rest of the team did their best to ignore the sounds outside since any hesitation now could cost them everything. Artemis and Zatanna had quietly made it to the group's small comms center with the distractions provided by the rest of the team.

During all of this, M'gann had decided, perhaps foolishly on her part she had to admit to herself, to attempt to disarm the bomb alone. She just had to sneak past fourteen heavily armed men first...and their leader...who was now looking right at her as if she was visible. M'gann rarely knew true fear as she did then, but she almost breathed a sigh of great relief when the masked man looked away from her and walked away from the bomb without a word. _"__You can do this M'gann..."_

_"_Wait...what?_ M'gann, what are you doing?! Stick to the plan!" _No one missed the fear in Connor's 'voice'. Even as he slammed an armored truck through part of the warehouse's right wall, scattering a small group of Kobra guards, he was still able to worry about the martian who he had grown the closest to out of the entire group._"__M'gann, don't you dare do __anything stupid!"_

_"_Someone_ has to try to defuse it, and I'm the closest one here. I'm not throwing away this chance since it might be the only one we get, and you know it." _M'gann steeled herself and sighed in relief as the closest guards walked away from the device's main console to aid the others. None of the team protested against her idea, but she knew without having to hear their thoughts that they wished there was another way, or at the least that they were closer so they could help her.

_"Here goes nothing..." _The martian ceased phasing directly in front of the console and started looking for any way to shut the device off, preferably without it detonating. After a few nerve racking seconds, she figured out how to disarm the bomb, but she lacked the tools. Lucky for her, there was an entire work bench of tools nearby, but she never got close as the Kobra Leader seemed to appear out of nowhere and got the drop on her. All she saw before her world went black was a saber flashing in front of her eyes.

"M'gann? M'gann?! Talk to me damn it!" The worry was palpable in Connor's voice as he lost contact with her, as well as the rest of the team for a moment before using his encrypted comms.

The moment M'gann had gone down, the telepathic field she had set up connecting the team had followed suit. No one knew if the martian was alive or dead. The rest of the team had already switched to regular communication methods, but the potential loss was still felt by them all even as the battle became fully pitched. Artemis and Zatanna, even as they short circuited the communications tower in their respective ways, had been forced to engage the Kobra guards with arrows and magic by that point.

The floor opened up underneath three of the soldiers and dropped them to the bottom of the building as their resident 'wizard' finished her latest spell. Looking into the hole only for a moment, Artemis had to pull Zatanna back as a rocket propelled grenade took out the floor where she had just been standing. "Thanks!"

"Don't mention it!" Artemis said in return, growling in the back of her throat as she fired back. Several shouts were heard before her own explosive arrow detonated among the group that had just tried to take them out a moment ago.

"Pardon me, coming through! Hey watch it lug nuts!" Kid Flash could be heard as he zipped about the warehouse. He was running past several shelves and dodging weapons fire until he caught a flash of green out of the corner of his eye. He had to literally skid to a stop and run back only to see a bleeding M'gann sprawled out on the ground, the Kobra Leader standing over her. Hopefully he hadn't seen him as Kid Flash did his best to appear as small as possible before relaying the information to his team. "I found our daring martian, Kobra has her! She's hurt but I think she's still alive."

"He probably knows you're there, but try to keep out of sight and stay close anyway KF. We're on our way; don't interfere unless you absolutely have to!" It'd take the whole team to take on Kobra himself, or at the very least, half the Justice League.

"I'll try to keep on eye on M'gann while you guys _slowly _get here...oh and don't forget about the minor problem of a ticking doomsday bomb while you're at it." The loud screams and crashing sounds from Super Boy's comm assured Wally that he'd definitely heard him. _I am not getting in Connor's way anytime soon._

Knowing their friend was badly hurt, or worse, the rest of the team followed his example and made a mad dash for the device. No guard foolish enough to try and stop them was still breathing as they cut through them, sometimes literally. There was no time to bother playing nice now, they could regret their actions later, if there was a later at all. Robin was the next to reach the room, followed seconds later by Super Boy and the others not long after him.

"This is it...straight dash to the device. I'm going for the console, the rest of you have to take out their leader, any way you can." None of them needed Robin to spell it out any clearer than that, given what was at stake.

"I know you can hear me out there, foolishly scuttling about like roaches. How many times must we go through the same dance before you realize you cannot fight a living god?" Robin's teeth were clenched at Kobra's words as he had since ascended to the higher reaches of the warehouse, Batman's protege having a pretty good view of what was below him. Kobra holding a still unconscious M'gann at the point of his saber didn't bode well at all. The fact the man's little speech was delivered with that cold, impassive voice of his only made it worse since a part of Robin wondered if there really was a point sometimes. No, he had to push on, if not for the world, then for M'gann at least.

"Keep talking Kobra! We've broken through your defenses, what's to stop us from taking you down?!" Robin waved to the rest to get ready as he head up a three count with his fingers. "You seriously think we're going to let a freak like you destroy this planet? Seriously?" His fingers flicked down to two. "You're just an insane momma's boy who has to hide behind an injured girl to feel safe!" He knew it wouldn't work, but it made Robin feel better to taunt the insane 'living god' if nothing else.

"And so we come to the part where we trade verbal barbs, but I do not have time for such childish gam-"

"Rush him!" Robin shouted as he leaped from the rafters, his lead foot already aimed for Kobra's head.

Even the 'living god' had to move a little from his standing position, lowering his saber to duck below the attack from the young leader. Just in time for Super Boy to tackle the megalomaniac away from M'gann who only then started to stir. Throwing him into the air, Kobra found himself eye to eye with one of Artemis's arrows, but Kobra swept it aside with his blade in one swift motion before he managed to grab hold of the rafters above. Swinging himself around so he was on his feet again, he had to give the young team credit for managing to make him work for his victory. He twisted about as several metal shards, manipulated by their magic user, almost impaled him in the back. Instead, he grabbed one out of the air and tossed it back with a flick of his hand, but Aqua Lad was there to take the hit on his shield. "It's over Kobra. You're finished!"

"Quite right, you are." Cutting the support beams on either side of him, Kobra, rode the debris back down to the ground, but before it hit, he had nimbly jumped off of the piece of falling metal and landed several feet away only to be sideswiped by Kid Flash. "Impressive." Zatanna and Aqua Lad had fallen hard, but they were still in the fight while the rest of the team continued the battle. Suddenly, Kobra screamed in pain as the tip of an arrow appeared, dripping with blood, through his right shoulder as he dropped his saber. That was more than enough of a distraction for Super Boy to pick up the man's sword and ram it through the mad man's chest.

"No one touches M'gann like that and lives!" Connor growled as he gave the sword a vicious twist to the right, finishing the job he had started. "Looks like you get to figure that out the _hard _way." A disgusted Connor spat on the fallen man then threw away the sword and ran over to check on a now conscious M'gann. "Hey, are you alright?"

"I...am fine, my head hurts but...I'm fine." She replied quietly, dizzily and her head _was _throbbing, but otherwise she was alright. Wincing as she put a hand to where Kobra had struck her, her fingers came away slick with her blood, but as far as she could tell she only had a minor concussion. She was lucky and she knew it. "Did we...win?"

"Not quite, but I have an idea. We don't have the time to disarm the bomb, but since Kobra has zeta beam tech set up already, we send it off to wherever they were going." Robin quickly headed towards the platforms while the others, mainly Connor, lifted the device and started carrying it towards him. While Robin went for the main zeta beam controls, Connor put the bomb on the closest platform. "Alright... judging by this info it looks like the destination is an uninhabited jungle planet, meaning other than the local wildlife and Kobra goons already planetside, there should be no casualties from this."

"Wait! We're going to destroy an entire planet?!" M'gann looked horrified at Robin's callous decision.

"It's either we destroy them or they destroy us, and I don't have time to reset this machine! If there's another way, I'd love to hear it!" Robin shouted back, hating having to make the decision at all, but something had to be done! The platform was primed to send its cargo, it just needed one more command to activate.

"There isn't." Aqua Lad stepped forward and punched the button as Robin hesitated. It wasn't until the zeta-beam hit the bomb that the plan truly went belly up. Apparently mixing zeta-beam tech and black hole bombs together wasn't the best idea. "Um...I do not claim to be a tech expert, but is it supposed to be doing that?"

"If you mean that is it supposed to be overloading and blowing up in the next five seconds... not really. And if you mean if it's supposed to be looking like a mini nuclear reaction taking place in slow motion, then definitely not." It was only a matter of a single spark which was quickly building up as the unstable molecules in the air started to split apart right in front of their eyes. It would have been beautiful if it wasn't so potentially deadly.

"Wally! Take M'gann and go!" Connor shouted at the speedster in desperation.

"No! I'm not going anywhere..." Connor felt tears in his eyes as M'gann pressed herself to his chest and wrapped her arms around him.

"Wally please..." Artemis started pleading, but one look at him told her he wasn't leaving them, leaving her. Hell would freeze over first and the look in his eyes told the archer as much. "Thank you, Wally." There was nothing else that needed to be said as she surprised him and pressed her lips to his. Wally was more than a little stunned as a goofy grin spread across his face when they came up for air a few seconds later.

"It was nice knowing you guys." Zatanna said next, only cementing the fact that they were in this together, even to the bitter end. She had seen and experienced so much since joining the team, far more than she would have ever done otherwise. They were family, or as close to one as a group like theirs could get.

"You always doubted yourself as a leader Robin, but no one else could have done what you did today. Batman would be proud. It has been an honor knowing all of you. " Aqua Lad's grim smile was all the reassurance the young man needed that he had made the right call as they faced the swirling energy disturbance together, as a team, as a family.

"Thank you, thank you everyone. A guy couldn't have asked for better friends." Maybe not the famous last words that he had always wanted to say, but Robin still felt pretty good about how things had gone up until that moment. Together they had stood, shoulder to shoulder against everything that had ever been put into their paths, and together they had prevailed time and time again. This might have been the end for them, but they weren't about to separate, even as the chain reaction that had been inevitable began, and they were consumed by light...

**One Week Later.**

The zeta-beam and black hole bomb interaction had not been nearly enough to destroy the Earth, the transport device having contained nearly all of the energy released by the bomb. The rest had been sent to Kobra's new home and that planet hadn't been so fortunate, but no one really cared. Only a few city blocks, which had been mostly populated by empty warehouses and a small park, were utterly destroyed. Still, dozens had been killed, plus seven more. When word got out that the team had been killed in action after an extensive sweep of the blast site the public was hit hard, and that was saying nothing of those that had trained them. The Justice League was hit the hardest since most of the kids were like sons and daughters to them and, in a few cases, the ties were blood thick.

One week after the event, when investigators were still rummaging through the debris of the blast, the world finally realized exactly what it had been spared because of their sacrifice. Not long after, a memorial service was held for all those who lost their lives. Even grieving parents, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters were not greatly bothered by the fact that seven of the lost in particular were on most people's minds.

"Every man, woman, and child on planet Earth still exists today because a small team of sidekicks stumbled onto the most dangerous attempt at genocide in human history. Today, we pay homage to these seven brave souls that gave their lives to protect ours. Now, I believe Batman has a few words." The most reclusive member of the Justice League had taken center stage, standing in front of the nearby blast site. As she moved to sit back down, Lois Lane wasn't the only one wondering what was going to happen next. It was no secret by then that one of the lost was Bruce's adopted son. He had allowed Clark to share the truth with her some time ago, and he was glad he had. It seemed something clicked into place for the reporter as their eyes met for a fleeting moment.

"Hello...I'll try to keep this short. I know a lot of you wish to speak as well. The League has been deeply saddened by the loss of our youngest members, while at the same time we could not be prouder of their actions. It is my honor to announce that Miss Martian, Aqua Lad, Kid Flash, Artemis, Zatanna, Super Boy, and Rob-" The man seemed to hesitate when he reached the final name on his list, but looking to the rest of the League, Batman seemed to find some well of strength he didn't know he possessed even as tears started to roll out from under his cowl. Ripping off the head piece, he continued in front of the stunned audience. "And Robin my adopted...my son Dick Grayson are posthumously awarded full membership in the League. No more lies; Dick is not going to be remembered as a faceless hero just so I can hide behind this mask."

Bruce threw his cowl to the ground in disgust. "He saved... _they _saved this entire planet in mere minutes when all of us..." He motioned towards the assembled Leaguers behind him on the stage. "...were unable to save _you _or _them_. We were busy fighting off rebels, _rebels_! And seven young teenagers were up against insane fanatics who had been trying to end everything!" Bruce looked down at the podium before him. "I need to do better..._we _need to do better. For _them_. And not just for them, for everyone that comes after thanks to _them_. To do anything less is to dishonor what we fight for everyday, so that all of _you_ can enjoy peace and ignorant bliss. But worse than that, it dishonors Zatanna Zatara, Wally West, Artemis Lian Crock, Kaldur'ahm, Connor Kent, M'gann M'orzz, and Dick Grayson."

As he walked off the stage in complete silence, Bruce hoped that those affected by his outburst wouldn't hate him for doing this before he felt the strength leave his legs and he collapsed to the ground. While most of the League had been surprised by Bruce's public confession since this hadn't been discussed in advance, none of them could blame him. They would support him now, as they always would each other. Helping him to his feet, Diana could only nod silently in approval for what he had done on that stage.

A suddenly not green, black, and white suited Hal Jordan put a hand on Bruce's shoulder after putting his Lantern ring away in his jacket pocket. "Come on Bruce, let's get you out of here." Bruce was too emotionally drained and exhausted to protest as the rest of the League, those with identities they had protected almost as fiercely as those they had sworn to protect, did the same as their mourning friend before walking off the stage.

For all intents and purposes, the Justice League was finished hiding in the shadows. Even Lex Luthor grudgingly clapped as the crowd cheered on the brave men and women who would hide no more. Let the criminals know exactly who they were dealing with. Secrecy had lost them seven of their own, and although they had saved the world in the process, they'd be damned if it would cost them one more.


	2. The More Things Change

** Chapter 2: The More Things Change...**

**Unknown Location.**

**Unknown Date.**

**Unknown Time.**

_Huh...my head is killing me. Wait... Do dead people feel pain? Ugh...feels like I was put through a meat grinder. _Artemis carefully opened her eyes and wished she hadn't when she saw a dozen heavily armed soldiers pointing rifles at her. They seemed as freaked out as she was though, which didn't quite reassure the archer since fear made people do stupid things at times. "Um...hi there?"

Being careful not to make any sudden movements, Artemis let her eyes slowly sweep over the area, trying to figure out where in the world she was. _Almost looks like some kind of military base or installation. Did they rescue me from the explosion? Judging by the hardware in my face, I'm clearly not a guest. Hopefully the others are alright... _She had to worry about her own safety first and foremost before she could begin to worry about helping any of her friends, if they were even still alive.

"Get that rifle out of the kid's face before I shove it up your ass Roberts. She looks like she's been through Hell already without you adding to it!" Artemis flinched as an older man roughly pushed one of the armed men aside. "You'll have to forgive them, you gave us one Hell of a surprise when you just appeared out of thin air young lady." He seemed to grow concerned as he looked over her injuries with a practiced eye. "You look hurt child. You're getting a free stay in our med bay." He snapped his fingers, never taking his eyes off of her, as one of the other men ran over to him. "Ericks, let the medics know they have a new patient on the way." Seeing the obvious wariness in her eyes, but strangely no fear, the man tried to give Artemis a calming grin. "I'm just as curious as they are, but we'll get you looked at before the questions start."

_Well...at least they didn't shoot me, that's a start. Unless this is a cleverly disguised trap of some kind, then I'm among friendlies. _Artemis felt way out of her element, and her natural mistrust was expected given who her family had been before she had become a member of the team. But something about the older gentleman set her at ease as she stood on shaky legs. "I've had worse than this, not much worse though. If we're going to be getting to know each other, can you at least tell me who are you first?"

The man waved off the alarmed men and women around him before responding to her. "I think I can handle it from here marines, nice use of common sense over basic training though..." The man just shook his head at the still spooked soldiers as they backed off. "Sorry...I'm Commander David Anderson, and I'll be your escort to this base's medical facilities today." Artemis hadn't missed the verbal shot the Commander had directed at his troops and it made her smirk a little. It was obvious they respected and feared this guy a great deal, but respect seemed the ruling emotion among them.

"If I got offended every time someone pointed a gun at me, I wouldn't have much of a sense of humor." She couldn't help the irritated tone in her voice even under pressure as she was. The unknown circumstances alone would have made most people crack by then, but Artemis wasn't most people.

Anderson smirked as he offered the limping young girl an arm to lean on. He wasn't surprised at all when she shook her head and refused his help. "I like you already kid, I have a kind of sixth sense for good people. What's _your _name by the way?"

She didn't doubt Anderson's honesty since he seemed able to read and understand people, an impression she had gotten after only a few minutes of talking to him. "Artemis. You know, Greek goddess of the hunt? The bow and arrows kind of give it away." The first thing she had noticed upon waking up was those same items missing from her person, which again didn't surprise her. Even so, it was odd that he didn't know, since most people didn't have to ask who she was. The costume kind of gave it away on its own. She pushed the thought to the way side for now though, forcing herself to focus on getting to the med bay first before she collapsed in the hallway.

"Huh...didn't know that one actually, pretty name though. Got a last name Artemis?" He had given his full name and rank and Artemis got the impression he wanted her to do the same. Something was weird about all this since costumed vigilantes didn't give their names while they were in uniform; it was an unspoken rule among them.

"I thought you said no questions until I got patched up." Anderson nodded to her as they walked down a corridor and Artemis couldn't shake the feeling he stayed close to her more out of worry over her falling on her face, rather than any real threat she might pose.

"Indeed I did. Alright, just one more and I'll shut up for now. Why the mask, just out of curiosity?" Now she was really worried. "There hasn't been any masked vigilantes since the early 21st. Did I miss the memo that said they were coming back by chance?" He had meant it as a joke, but one look at Artemis's face was all that Anderson needed to see that had been a very poor choice of words.

"What _year _is it?!" Somehow it didn't shock him when the girl threw him against the wall. He could have stopped her easily, but he didn't want to injure her further and letting her ask the questions would give him more answers to his own sooner rather than later.

"What do you mean what year? It's 2178 C.E. You really didn't know that?" The shocked look in Artemis's eyes only increased, and confirmed Anderson's growing suspicions that something really strange had happened to this confused and frightened girl. The way she backed off and slowly slumped against the wall just added to the stack of evidence to support the idea she had either hit her head pretty hard or something else was at work, and he was betting on 'something else'. People just didn't appear out of thin air and not know where or when they were, head injury or not.

"You're lying, that can't be right..." She had been toyed with too many times by her family in the past to believe anything at face value. Not only that, but it was just too outlandish for her to even begin to believe. Even with everything she had seen, it just didn't seem possible.

"I'll prove it to you Artemis, just trust me for five minutes that's all I ask." Anderson held out his hand to her, knowing he'd only get one chance to show her he was on the girl's side.

"Five minutes? How are you going to prove anything in five minutes?" Artemis just cautiously stared at the offered hand for a second, expecting it to sprout fangs and bite her if she touched it for even a moment. Anderson didn't miss the look and slowly let his hand drop, which was probably just as well in the end.

"Well only four minutes and fifty seven seconds now...can I help you up?" She shot Anderson a glare that could have put Wally on ice as she crossed her arms in defiance. "Okay then, I only really need five...no better make it fifteen seconds, anyway." She was mildly stunned when the man just sat down next to her in the hall and was completely silent for a few minutes. It gave her a chance to calm down, which she was grateful for if she wanted to be honest with herself. "Okay then, I still have thirty seconds, I think. Ready to get up and take a look outside?"

"...Yeah, whatever, let's get this over with." Artemis hesitated but she was able to get to her feet again, a little easier than the last time. Again Anderson walked beside her out of worry more than anything until they came to a floor to ceiling glass window. "Oh...you gotta be kidding me! Was that a flying car?" Normally if anyone touched her uninvited, Artemis would snap off the offending limb, but she didn't bother this time as Anderson prevented her from taking a header on the floor as everything went black.

"Nice going sir, I think you gave her culture shock." Anderson sighed as he looked over his shoulder to the young woman behind him who had stayed out of sight until then. He had to smile though as she helped him carry the young girl the rest of the way to the med bay without having to be told or asked. They just didn't make soldiers like her anymore...

"Shut up Lt., that's an order." Anderson smiled at her as she saluted with one arm while helping to carry the unconscious girl with the other. The young woman just smirked since the 'order' was halfhearted at best. "I thought it was going pretty well, until she passed out that is. Oh well, got a few answers anyway."

"Whatever you say...sir." The woman grinned at him as they gently set Artemis onto the closest empty bed.

**Seven hours later...**

"_Gah! Oh crap...did I just faint? Good thing nobody else saw that...otherwise I'll never live it down. Wait...what happened to my clothes?!"_

It was only after she got over the fact she now wore a hospital gown, and nothing else, that Artemis noticed the tell tale 'echo' in her head. She realized she must have been sharing her thoughts with a telepath, but the presence in her mind was very familiar. Turning her head, Artemis didn't know whether she wanted to strangle Robin, who had a gigantic smirk on his face despite the fact he was in a hospital gown as well, or kiss him since she was so very happy to see Bird Boy alive and well. Turning to the left, she saw an equally amused and dressed M'gann which only made the archer blush a deeper shade of red.

"_I'm sure we'll forget about it eventually...naw probably not. Gotta say I for one am definitely over whelmed for once. They didn't have to completely disarm us though." _He just shrugged since it wasn't the first time he'd been out of costume after suffering serious injuries like this.

"_It was most kind of them to give us medical treatment Robin, I wouldn't, how do you humans put it? Look a gift hippopotamus in the mouth?" _Artemis and Robin both still had it in them to give their favorite martian a look that screamed 'Seriously?!' at her. _"__Oh...I got it wrong again didn't I?"_

"_Well, you got the first letter right, that's something I guess. We need to get serious though, before the interrogation begins. What do we know so far guys?" _Robin asked, all trace of his earlier humor gone.

"_I only woke up in this room a few minutes before you did...do you know anything helpful Artemis?" _M'gann asked next, and Artemis didn't have to look to know they were staring solely at her now.

"_Well...we're in some kind of military base, that guy over in the corner staring at us is Commander Anderson, we all just appeared out of nowhere which freaked everyone out, and oh yeah, the year is 2178 apparently. If you don't believe me, it might be helpful to take a look outside a window. Don't expect me not to make fun of you when you faint too Dick-"_

"If I might interrupt your mental conversation? It's like looking at the elephant in the room, watching you three go back and forth." The three of them just stared at Anderson in total silence while he waited for them to realize that, yes, he had actually said that. He was still waiting two minutes later before he finally broke the silence. "Okay, this is getting boring. Would you like me to tell you how we know you're communicating telepathically? As I'm sure you've already 'discussed' with your friend, Artemis, the year is 2178 and that means our technology is far more advanced than you are likely used to. Given the strange nature of your arrival and the fact we don't have anything like your interesting, and very polite I might add, alien friend Ms. M'orzz on record, we've been monitoring everything since you were brought in. Your brainwave activity is jumping all over the place, with your friend as the source."

"Oh...sorry for trying to deceive you but Robin thought it was for the best that we attempt to hide that ability. In case we needed to use it as a tactical advantage against you if we had to try and escape." M'gann immediately blushed crimson when she realized she had said far too much, and the glares from Robin and Artemis only made it worse.

Anderson seemed shocked at the complete honesty, bordering on naivety, that the young alien showed towards him. "I'll add _extremely _honest to my assessment as well..." He barely stopped himself from laughing out loud as the boy just put his head in his hands, after glaring at his green friend. "It's alright son, I give you my word the three of you have nothing to fear here."

"Guess you have us over a barrel either way, Commander Anderson, but I'm sure you can guess your word alone isn't going to help make me relax much. Care to share where we are?" If he had a point of reference of some sort, Robin was sure if push came to shove, he could find one of Batman's old hidden caches and resupply on equipment. In Artemis's case, she could make hers easily enough, he was sure. He was willing to hear this Anderson out in the meantime, unless he proved he couldn't be trusted.

"Well...going by the fact none of you seem familiar with anything, I believe you would call the city you're in Washington D.C, correct? I won't bother confusing you with the more _modern _name."

"So that proves the time theory at least." Robin looked to be deep in thought, which wasn't far off the mark since he wasn't about to assume they had gotten lucky and had simply been pushed into the future. It'd be too easy, especially given their luck, if that was all the zeta-beam and black hole mixture had done to them. Somehow, Robin got the feeling that returning home would prove quite hard if not outright impossible now.

"So I _am _right after all. Sorry to tell you I may have been...bluffing a bit to confirm my suspicions." That got the team's attention as Anderson continued. "Oh don't give me those pissed off looks you two; I've had the joy of fighting batarians, I think I can survive a couple angry teenagers." The angry looks that Robin and Artemis had on their faces disappeared instantly. M'gann looked just as confused since none of them had heard of batarians before, and they were used to dealing with aliens, or worse, in their home time.

Just as Anderson was mentally kicking himself for being so easily annoyed, M'gann had to go and ask the question that was on everyone's mind. "Excuse me, Mr. Anderson, but what is a batarian?" No one could argue with the innocent, happy smile on the martian's face, but Robin still sighed all the same since there were better ways to ask questions that would reveal more than simply asking a blanket one as she had. Then he had to mentally facepalm for being so overly critical of M'gann's curiosity since that was all it was, even if he didn't immediately trust Anderson.

"Let's hope you don't find out anytime soon Ms. M'orzz, most of them aren't exactly the nicest people in the galaxy. Oh, and just so we're being honest I've already looked you two up, Mr. Grayson and Ms. Crock. For two people who have been dead for more than a century and half, I gotta say you're looking surprisingly alive and well." The look on Anderson's face said he wasn't kidding anymore, and it chilled the young team's blood considerably.

"How?" It was the only thing Artemis could get out of her mouth.

Anderson found himself tongue tied for a moment before he decided to get this part over with quickly. "According to the records I was able to dig up on you, you both died in early 2013 unsuccessfully trying to save one...let me see here..." Anderson quickly looked over the datapad in his hand. "One Wally West-" David didn't get to finish his sentence as the determined young woman in front of him bolted out of her bed and had him by the throat a moment later.

"YOU'RE LYING!" M'gann and Robin had since jumped out of their own beds and had gotten their hands on Artemis, doing all they could to pull her off of Anderson even though they were just as shocked over the news as she was. "GET OFF OF ME! HE'S LYING! HE HAS TO BE!" The only reason Anderson hadn't attacked by then were the crocodile sized tears that were running down her face. All he could do was try to loosen the stranglehold she had on his neck.

"Enough Artemis! Calm down! M'gann...can't you do something?!" Robin asked, as he and M'gann managed to get the girl locked down between them, binding her arms and legs before the martian's eyes started to glow a pale green. Artemis gave a strangled gasp before she went limp between them, her eyes still full of tears as M'gann knocked her out after she had gotten inside Artemis' head.

Anderson could only watch in silence as the two young teens helped their distraught friend back into bed, having found a new found respect for their abilities. The short, but intense, melee fight that had followed David's seemingly less than careful phrasing had shown what Robin was more than capable of. The boy had done most of the work in subduing Artemis, while M'gann had assisted in the physical aspect wherever she could. He hadn't missed the way the martian's eyes had glowed before Artemis had been knocked out cold. "I'm sorry that I upset your friend, thank you for the assistance. I take it she was close to this Mr. West?"

M'gann's earlier smile had completely disappeared as Robin nodded silently. Now that they were on this road however, she needed to know more. _They _needed to know more. "He...he was a good friend to all of us Mr. Anderson. I'm almost afraid to ask, but could you provide us with information about some of our other friends as well?"

"Here...I don't need to see it." Anderson handed her the pad he was still holding. "Just enter their full names and the year you want to search for." David wasn't going to chance having to be the bearer of even more bad news if he could avoid it. _Especially if I end up having to go up against M'gann next. She was able to subdue her ally with just a look when she was calm, I'd hate to even begin to imagine what she could do in a full on rage._

M'gann did as he had instructed and a horrified gasp escaped from her as she put a hand over her mouth. "Wally, Zatanna, Kaldur, ...Connor. They're all gone...and the League...it never existed. I never existed..."

"What are you talking about? Give me that thing!" Robin angrily snatched the device from her hand before reading through the entries she had found, then proceeded throw it at Anderson. The man didn't even flinch as he caught the object which had been aimed for his head. Whether it was an intentional shot or not, Anderson didn't have to ask.

"Given Ms. Crock's earlier reaction, I'll consider that an improvement. I wish I had better news for you, I truly do." Neither of them doubted the man's sincerity. Robin had seen enough old soldiers like Anderson to know that he'd rather take a bullet than lie about such a sensitive subject. M'gann, even in her shocked state, had kept a part of her mind open to try to detect any falsehood from Anderson, but so far there wasn't even a glimmer of deceit in his subconscious.

"It is...disconcerting to have all these disturbing facts shown to us all at once." M'gann looked to the ground, clearly unable to come up with any means to counter what she had seen and read for herself so far. Robin wasn't so easily swayed.

"That's if what you're reading is even real M'gann. They could've easily created false historical records to-" M'gann placed a hand on Robin's shoulder and simply shook her head which silenced his argument before he could build up anymore steam. She didn't have to see his thoughts to know he was having just as much of a hard time with everything as she was. Picking up the datapad once more, it didn't take M'gann long to wonder what she might find if she looked up anything on her homeworld. When she had her answers, she immediately wished she hadn't.

"Dick...my...my _home_!" As M'gann latched onto him and started sobbing, Robin looked over her shoulder to the dropped datapad and couldn't suppress a gasp of surprise. He silently mouthed the word "Mars." to Anderson while subtly pointing to M'gann with a finger. Anderson just shook his head 'No', as he avoided looking at the crying girl for the moment.

"M'gann, as long you're with the two of us, your home is right here. We'll make it through this, I promise you." Gently forcing her to look him in the eyes, M'gann could only nod as she felt his thumbs brush gently under her eyes, wiping away her tears even as more spilled from them. Neither of them noticed Artemis had woken up and had picked up the dropped datapad, lost to her own thoughts for only a moment as she read over what it said about M'gann's home planet. Even she doubted Anderson could have forged so much information about them so quickly.

"Dick's right M'gann. We've handled way tougher things than this...well maybe not exactly this type of situation, but as long as we stick together, like we always have..." She had to swallow the lump in her throat but Artemis managed to keep it together as she hugged them both as best she could.

Anderson suddenly had the urge to get out of that room as quickly as possible seeing the three teenagers in obvious pain. "I...should go. I'll be sure to have the medical staff give you some privacy for a while, alright? If you need _anything, _just ask." Dick looked over to Anderson and nodded, no words needing to be passed between them to know he appreciated everything the older man had done already. Anderson had a strong sense of deja vu, thinking back to a young girl, about the same age as these three, that had had a similar look on her face when he had first met her after pulling her off of her home colony. _Maybe there's some truth to how history repeats itself..._

As if to rub salt in that particular wound as Anderson walked out of the med bay, his eyes fell on that same 'young girl', who was not so young anymore. The look on her face pretty much put to rest any suspicion about how long she'd been standing outside. "What is it with you and orphans sir?"

Anderson gave the woman next to him in the hall a glare. "I remember holding onto this scared young girl once...that was just as terrified as those three." David frustratedly pointed to the door behind him, just in case his sharp tone hadn't gotten his point across. "I think _she _turned out pretty damn good...I guess you can consider me a more modern day version of Bruce Wayne, minus the riches and a Batmobile."

She didn't seem to know when to quit while most people knew not to egg David Anderson on. Ever. "Sir, you have a funny way of avoiding my-"

"Because most heroes don't need a costume and a fancy tool belt to do what's right Annabell. They need someone to help _them_, and I don't see anyone else signing up for the job, unless you're volunteering?" First Lt. Anna Shepard, as she liked to be called, knew not to mistake the question for simply that, she had been around David for far too long to know what it really implied. She was about to get 'promoted' to escort duty.

As David started to walk away, Anna couldn't help but smile, despite her new 'posting'. "Maybe I'll tell them how you were always a Grinch for Christmas...sir." It was an old joke between them since despite his gruff behavior at times, Anderson had a heart of gold. Despite how things had gone when they had first met, Annabell wouldn't trade him for the world and David knew it.

"I don't care what you tell them, but you better take care of them Lt. Otherwise, that MK VII Avenger isn't happening. Or that Black Canary action figure either for that matter." David almost smiled at the fake pout she put on that had served her so well in the past. "Wipe that damn look off your face and wait for one of them to come out." Anderson turned away from his adopted daughter, barely stopping himself from letting her off the hook and waiting by the med bay instead. She had to learn to be more responsible for people sooner or later, might as well start with three slippery teenagers he figured. _Three slippery teenagers with martial arts training and strange abilities that even I don't fully understand. __That should do for now._

**Slightly more than an hour later...**

"_This is so boring! Why did I have to open my big damn mouth in front of Dad?! Oh well, this is your screw up Anna, you need to deal with it. Hmm...damn it's already been over a hour. Guess it might not hurt to check on them for a second. Wait...why is there an echo in my head?"_

"_About time you noticed." _That was definitely **not **her own 'voice'. _"__Sorry for the intrusion there, I had M'gann bridge your mind with ours since I wanted to get a feel for who you are. Call it paranoia if you like, nice to meet a fan by the way. "_The smug quality in Dick's mental voice wasn't missed, even in her shock at having her mind broken into like it was a cheap vault.

Anna couldn't help blushing at the thought of others listening to her mind uncensored ever since she had sat down by the door. _"__You brats are very lucky I am not allowed to hurt you! How long were you 'listening' in?!"_

"_I told Ro...Dick this was not a good idea Ms. Shepard. Also, we have been listening to your mind for a little over half an hour, since we realized you were outside after I had...calmed down. I am sorry for entering your mind without asking first." _Shepard got the impression that this particular voice belonged to the 'martian', M'gann. Anna had started to calm down from the her anger at realizing what had been done to her without her permission, especially after hearing the only alien in the group 'talk' since she struck Anna as someone with as much guile your average turian.

"_Mind if I come in? Because I sure as hell don't!" _Shepard had already had enough of this strange link they had forced on her, and she was already opening the door anyway, just to prove a point she didn't much care if they wanted her in the room or not. _ "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?! Oh crap...dad is going to be so incredibly pissed at me..."_

The med bay was completely deserted and had been for some time. Looking up, she saw a partially open vent cover. A small smirk appeared on Anna's face even as her hands clenched into tight fists at being duped. _"You better hope I don't catch up with you three, because when I find you I'm going tie you up, and gag you. Then I'm going to plant your sorry asses in front of my father so he can give you three a verbal beat down you won't forget."_

"_Good luck Shepard." _Artemis had been the only one that hadn't said anything yet, and the humourous, almost flirty tone to her voice was quite distinctive, even over the mental link they shared. _"__I think you'll find us harder prey than your average grunt, but you're welcome to try. M'gann, cut the link on her end."_

"_Do not mind them Ms. Shepard, but we need to find our own path. Please thank your father for all the help though." _She had the distinct impression that M'gann had been press ganged into leaving, or at least that she had been reluctant and had wanted to stay until one of her friends had convinced her it was better than staying.

"_Okay, M'gann right? I promise I won't tie or gag you at least, but your two accomplices asses are grass, and I'm going to mow them..."_

"_Ha! How exactly you gonna do that Groundskeeper Shepard? Oh..." _An irritated set of bright sea-green eyes were inches from his face as Dick popped out of a vent and was pulled to his feet. _"__Huh...did anyone ever tell you...you have really pretty eyes? ... CRAP!" _ "Please don't beat me. Little help would be nice guys!" Shepard had since pinned Robin's back against the wall. Where any other time he might have admired the rather fit and trim Annabell Shepard, but he was too busy sweating under those same eyes' intense gaze to admire the view. Anna casually swept some of the dark chestnut brown hair that had fallen in front of her eyes with one hand while keeping the boy securely pinned with the other.

Standing at about five foot eight inches, Shepard towered over the three young teens, but it wasn't her height that was so imposing. It was the fact she reminded most of them of a sleeker version of Batman, minus the suit obviously. "Tell your friends to stand down before I get grumpy...you wouldn't like me when I'm grumpy."

Robin had a major sense of deja vu since he had heard Batman say that more than once. Coming from Anna, it almost scared him worse than Batman had ever managed, if he was being honest with himself. He had never been on the receiving end of it until now. His eyes widened in fear as she started glowing blue a moment later, as Artemis and M'gann instantly got the message and slowly backed off even before Robin told them to do so. "Smart kid. Best decision you made today." He was glad when the frown on Shepard's angular face softened and the rage in her eyes disappeared as she let him go.

In all the time that they had been 'talking', Shepard had been doing her best at catching up with the three wayward teenagers. It didn't take a genius to look up the building's specs and see where that particular vent went to. So as soon as Dick had pulled aside a vent cover and fell out onto the floor, before being dragged to his feet, Shepard was waiting to receive him.

Even though she was still highly annoyed, the wary looks she received from all of them made Anna worry that she had just destroyed any hope of these kids ever trusting her. As she powered down her biotics, the glowing holographic device displaying the duct system attached to her right arm was all the information they needed to see how she had done it. "You see those three glowing dots on the screen there, that's you three. You see the bigger dot right by those? That's me. Nice try kiddies. And in case you're curious, you aren't the only one with family connections to heroes and villains there Bird Boy. Turns out Lex Luthor was my great granddad, and yes, he is a stain on my family history before you ask."

She didn't normally mention that very often, let alone so quickly, but it had the desired effect of making the kids far more curious than afraid of her, which Anna was silently grateful for. She couldn't count the number of times that someone had made fun of her when they found out about it when she was still on Mindoir. The fact that her great grandfather had killed one of the most well known heroes of all time had led to more than a few fist fights as a child, as if she had any say in what he did. _ "I better leave that part out for now...it's going to be hard enough to get them to- SHIT! You just heard me didn't you?" _The depressed looks on their faces answered Anna's question for her.

"Just one more piece of crappy news today. You're not Lex Luthor though, you're your own person Shepard. So you can stop giving me that guilt look." Dick replied, earning understanding looks from Artemis and M'gann since what one person had done in the past, even if they had somehow killed the greatest hero Earth had ever known, didn't reflect on someone related to them later, as far as he was concerned."Besides, you still have all your hair."

That earned a laugh from everyone as Dick deflated the tense moment with a well timed joke. "Shepard, if you looked up anything about my messed up family, you'd have seen I have a master assassin on one side and a master thief on the other, and that was just my immediate family." Artemis scoffed, then pointed towards her two remaining friends in the world. "Yet these two boneheads kept me around even after they found out about it. Anyone can decide who they want to be, despite whatever family they come from." There was a little more to it than that, but the point wasn't lost on Shepard.

"Thanks kid...hey, you guys gotta be hungry by now. Wanna hit the mess?" When she got odd looks from Dick and Artemis, Shepard had to mentally facepalm since she had forgotten they were still in their hospital gowns. It took her a moment longer to realize that M'gann was no longer green and she had dressed herself in an outfit much like Anna's own. "That's a neat trick...must save you a ton of time in the morning. Um...you might want to try something other than an Alliance uniform though." The blue dress uniform and matching pants wasn't exactly meant to be worn by civilians.

"Hello Megan! Sorry, let me try something else." M'gann lightly wacked herself on the side of the head before altering her appearance. A moment later, she was dressed in simple blue jeans and a white shirt.

Shepard just shrugged and waved at the two more clothing challenged teens. "Follow me, I can get you guys something a little less revealing to wear, nice tush by the way Grayson."

"Wow...he's speechless...and blushing profusely. I like you already Shepard." Artemis laughed as M'gann chuckled and held the back of the mortified boy's gown together while they walked. Luckily, there was a rather large Lost and Found box that was always stuffed full of discarded and forgotten things, usually clothes. How people lost so much was beyond Shepard, and she didn't even want to guess how they lost their undergarments since she had helped shift through the items a couple of times when they were being delivered to a few local homeless shelters. Needless to say, Artemis and Dick had plenty to choose from since it was the day before the box usually went out. Artemis wasn't about to complain since it was a pretty good idea in a pinch, which was exactly what this was.

"Sorry, but this is the best I can do on a minutes notice. I can guarantee everything has been cleaned at least. Once we get you something to eat, and you've healed up properly I might add, I'll let you shop for whatever you want."

"Anything is better than nothing Shepard, so don't worry about it. Still, thanks for coming up with this much for us." Dick replied, and Anna didn't have to be connected with them to know he meant every word. She smiled and let them dress in peace, standing guard by the door. She kept her omni-tool tracking program primed, just in case. When they came out a few minutes later and saw the map displayed on her right arm, they shared a small chuckle.

"Okay you guys all-" Anna could barely stop herself from laughing at the now dressed duo, apparently they didn't realize how utterly ridiculous they looked. Green, red, black and yellow were really not the best colors on Dick. At least Artemis had done slightly better in the style department, although dark green and straight black didn't look much better. She had forgotten that some people had some pretty strange taste in clothes, and Dick had been left holding the short stick as far as Shepard was concerned. _"__Bahahaha! Oh crap...can you shut this damn thing off M'gann?"_

"_Oh no, keep it on M'gann. That way I'll know if the great granddaughter of big bad Lex Luthor thinks I have no fashion sense." _Anna rolled her eyes at Dick's attempt of a comeback, unable to help the occasional giggle that escaped her anytime she looked towards Bird Boy. The fact he had tried to go for something that resembled his costume, even if Dick himself hadn't realized it at the time, wasn't lost on Shepard and it only made her have to bite her tongue a little harder.

"Just getting you dressed halfway decent is going to be a major project, _Robin_. Come on, let's see if you can eat without cracking me up again." It was a good thing she hadn't bet any creds on that idea a few minutes later, when she had finally sat them down with a few trays of food in the mess hall. She quickly leaned in and whispered to them, mostly out of fear of one them choking on their food. "Geez! Slow down! I promise you can have more if you want." The three diners just looked up at her, having nearly finished their meals in little more than a minute.

"Sorry Shepard, but when you're in the hero business, you get used to eating fast." Dick said, although he did make it a point to actually slow down with what little was left on his tray. They weren't heroes anymore perhaps, but it would be a long time before he at least broke out of the habit of stuffing his face. That and he might like Anna Shepard, but that didn't mean he was about to announce to the world he had been Robin once upon a time. Artemis and M'gann silently agreed with his prudence in that regard, and Shepard had since caught onto his need to keep that their little secret.

Shepard just crossed her arms and smirked at them, seemingly in silence. _"Well, do me a favor and don't choke to death on your first day here okay? Wouldn't look good for me at all to have to give you a biotic heimlich in front of everyone."_

"Biotic? What the heck is that?" Artemis asked before Dick or M'gann could, and the puzzled looks on their faces made Anna blink in confusion since everyone knew what biotics were. Then she remembered who she was talking to and Shepard nodded, almost to herself.

"Biotics are...well here, let me show you." The three young heroes almost jumped back from the table as their trays started to glow a dark blue and float in front of them.

"Funny Shepard! I can do that one too!" Artemis and Dick glared at their martian friend as the three of them started floating off their chairs next. Shepard noticed immediately that there was no blue glow of dark energy however, which meant that M'gann had true telekinetic power with her mind beyond the telepathy. _"__Oh right... I shouldn't show off too much." _Just as quickly as they had started floating, the three thunked back down into their chairs with a small yelp from Dick and Artemis.

"_A word of advice M'gann? There are people out there that would love to learn how you did that, and they wouldn't ask nicely like me or dad." _The dark tone in Anna's voice raised the hairs on the back of the young group's necks. _"__Just be more discrete in the future. Alright?"_

"_Care to share who that might be Shepard?" _Dick wanted to know about any potential enemies, preferably before they came knocking, and Anna couldn't blame him for wanting to know. Even so, she was sure that the base doctors wouldn't appreciate her riling them up, but she didn't believe in keeping people in the dark.

A frown appeared on her face as Shepard set their trays back down. _"__I know we've tried to show you that the Alliance is worth trusting, and in most cases it is, but no organization is without its...more ruthless opportunists. There's rumors of a pro human group that, in a way, created biotics among humanity by causing industrial accidents involving a material called eezo." _Shepard instantly corrected her description when she saw the blank looks on their faces. _ "__Sorry element zero, it causes biotic abilities to develop in humans exposed to it in the womb. Most people don't believe those stories, but I, for one, do. That's just the tip of the iceberg though, but if they are willing to do that, then who's to say what they might do if they got their hands on her." _Anna just gave a slight nod in M'gann's direction as she finished.

The coldness in the air was palpable around their table as M'gann shivered involuntarily at what Anna had invoked in her mind especially. They had seen what lengths the 'Light' organization had been willing to go to achieve their goals, and it didn't take much of a stretch of the imagination for them to imagine the worst the aforementioned group might do to M'gann.

Shepard couldn't help picking up the young girl's thoughts as she gently reached over the table and put a hand on her shaking shoulder. _"__Let me tell you right now, I will NEVER let that happen. I've already seen the worst this galaxy has to offer and if I have enough life left in my body to use my biotics or pull a trigger, I will not allow anyone to hurt you. I don't care where you're from or what you are. I've seen enough suffering in my life, and if I can prevent more from happening... then you bet your ass I'll do what I can to stop it." _Since Shepard had her hand on her shoulder, only M'gann saw the flashes of what Anna had gone through in her past. It gave the martian all the proof she needed to know Anna would keep her promise, even if it cost her her life in the process.

"Heh Shepard, do me a favor and don't laugh at this okay? Does humanity have huge starships, light sabers, or stargates yet?" Artemis and M'gann both caught hints of Wally in Robin's comment, but it only made them smile more than anything, even if Artemis visibly flinched at having to remember that goofy speedster. Shepard meanwhile had to bite her tongue altogether to stop herself from laughing at the clear movie references. So what if people poked fun at her taste in entertainment, she happened to like older vids.

"While we do have the starships, they aren't anything like a Star Destroyer I hate to say." A hopeful Dick started to speak as she cut him off. "No they aren't like the Enterprise either and sorry, no light sabers or stargates, but we do have some pretty fancy toys all the same." The boy's obvious disappointment changed in a flash to intense curiosity as she continued. "My omni-tool is just icing on the cake, I could probably get all of you a basic model, if you don't try to run away again that is."

"_You would seriously do that?!" _Dick wasn't able to stop himself in time, but he was quick to recover as he spoke again, this time out loud. "Err...I mean that would be cool." Shepard had raised an eyebrow at his attempt at a recovery, but she shrugged since she'd have probably doubted the offer too if the shoe was on the other foot.

"Look Dick, we got off on a bit of a rough start. If our roles were reversed, I'd have probably done the same thing you three did. You're good kids and you simply decided to use what you learned to try to find your own way, I respect that and I'm sure your mentors would be proud of you. But despite everything you've put me through already, you deserve a chance to-" Artemis had to stop herself from snickering when Annabell seemed to sense the only person she feared and respected was right behind her. He always got the drop on her and this time was no different. _"__Ah shit. He's right behind me, isn't he?"_

M'gann had to suppress a giggle since she had already linked the Commander with them upon his request, and they 'heard' Anderson's simple answer to his adopted daughter's question. _"__Yes HE is Lt." _David smirked as Shepard jumped in her seat since he rarely saw her that surprised anymore. "Ah good...I see our three newcomers are still here, and in one piece to boot. Nice job Lt., I half expected you would have... misplaced them by now." She knew then that he had found out about her 'misplacing' the kids, but the fact she had found them so quickly most likely saved her from latrine duty for the screw up. _"__Next time you let them get away from you, you'll be using a toothbrush." _A few snickers escaped from Dick and Artemis while M'gann had to bite her tongue to keep from smiling at the wink Anderson threw their way behind Shepard's back.

"As for you three." They immediately shut up and instantly knew that they weren't completely home free, as Anderson's hard gaze fell on them fully. "The next time you try to sneak out from under your escort's nose, I won't hesitate to have all of you tagged with tracking devices." _"__In the most painful manner possible." __"_Let them enjoy their sloppy joes, then get their butts back to medical. Doc Stevens will be on my ass as it is."

"Aye sir. You heard the man." As the three jumped to their feet, Anna waved them back down. "Not that I don't like the enthusiasm, but you're all having seconds, at least, before I take you three terrors back. Did you give your folks back home this much trouble?"

"Yep, every chance we got." Dick was quick to say, which was to really say no since their elders could have put them all in traction for months if they had had the mind to. Besides, the three of them had respected the League and their mentors far too much in most cases to give them any trouble anyway.

"Uh huh...just eat your damn food." Anna just shook her head in amusement. She highly doubted this little punk would have caused much trouble for someone who scared the piss out of hardened criminals back in the day. Despite the facade he tried to pull off, Shepard knew that Dick really was a nice kid, they all were in their own ways. Hell, M'gann was almost too nice in her opinion, she'd have to work on that. For now though, Anna was content in keeping an eye on them and it seemed the feeling was mutual since even while they stuffed their faces, she got the impression they were passively watching her in turn, more out of curiosity than anything now though.


	3. Assembling The Pieces

**Chapter 3: Assembling the Pieces**

**Washington D.C, Systems Alliance Military Base.**

**March 17th, 2178.**

**07:00 EST.**

They had been up for an hour already, but Doc Stevens had insisted that they stay in bed until their glorified babysitter collected them. The fact he had used such a term for Annabell Shepard had made M'gann a little grumpy since she respected the Lt. a lot more than the crotchety doctor. "_Come on M'gann, you wouldn't touch a hair on his head. Besides, you can't blame the guy for speaking the truth anyway." _She tried to give an imposing glare towards Dick who was propped up on his side, looking over the datapad that Anderson had left behind, but all M'gann managed to do was come off as cute in both Artemis's and Dick's opinions.

"_I know...but he doesn't have to be so rude. I like Ms. Shepard. Besides...we should take it easier on her. Did you bother to read her unclassified file?" _Dick nodded solemnly since he had gotten curious about their guard, and the answers he had found about her past had chilled him considerably.

"_You're right, as always M'gann. I can certainly relate to some of the stuff she's been through...it's not easy losing your folks." _He didn't have to say anything else since Artemis and M'gann knew his story all too well.

"_I'm not even going to bother looking mine up. Can't say I'm gonna miss them that much, if at all." _Neither of them could blame Artemis for thinking that, but despite the fact her folks had been on the wrong side of the law, Dick would have liked to have had his around even if they had been like Artemis's. Someone had other ideas however.

"_Don't say that Artemis. Any family, even one as flawed as yours, is better than none. I did some homework on you before you ask." _They hadn't noticed that Anna had returned to the med bay and had been listening to their conversation. "_Cheshire and Sportsmaster, older sister and father. Master assassin and master thief, yet you ended up a hero under the tutelage of Green Arrow, also known as Oliver Queen. Unfortunately...you didn't see your seventeenth birthday." _None of them needed her to finish that sentence to know why Artemis hadn't lived to a ripe old age. It was the same song and dance for all of them. At least in this reality it was anyway.

"_Oh man...all this not having to hide our identities feels really weird. You could have at least asked by the way..." _After she had joined them by their bedsides, Shepard had taken away the datapad with her history displayed, and held it up so Dick didn't miss her silent message. "_Fair point. Okay, so we have trust issues on both sides, sue me, I'm only thirteen."_

"_You may be the youngest, but I get the feeling you're the one people listen to." _The small blush on Dick's cheeks wasn't needed to confirm her suspicions since Shepard had figured it out by then, but it helped all the same. Handing the datapad back, Anna sat down with her back to M'gann so she was facing the leader of the three. "_You certainly have a way about you Richard, and with a little practice, it can get you a long way. You need to lose the paranoia though, well not all of it. Never hurts to have a little since it tends to keep you alive."_

"_Sorry Shepard. When you hang around someone like Batman...like Bruce for so long, it tends to become a habit. You're a good person though, and you've done a lot for us already, you and your old man both I should say. Also, don't call me Richard, seriously." _Anna didn't miss the sad look that fell over the boy's face a moment later. She had been wondering, and dreading, when they would begin to realize exactly how alone they were in this new world in which they found themselves. "_No Justice League...no friends, no relatives...not even Superman or M'gann's uncle, Jon, who never seemed to exist in this universe to begin with. I never thought any of this could happen..."_

Dick didn't much care that Shepard had heard all of that as he revealed just how young he was as tears started to form in his eyes. He hadn't felt like crying since losing his own parents so long ago. The reality of how far from home they were made it feel like all that had happened to someone else. Anna couldn't begin to imagine what was going through Dick's head since she was still pretty new to alternate realities and timelines and everything else they entailed. She was shocked when Dick grabbed the closest person to him at the time, which had been Anna herself. She tensed up, then remembered that she had done something pretty similar when Anderson had saved her from Mindior so long ago. "Hey...it's okay, just let it out. I'm not going anywhere." Artemis and M'gann silently watched as Shepard pulled the young man into her arms, having never thought in a thousand years they'd see Dick so vulnerable as he was then.

They had their own difficulties in accepting what had come to pass, but for the moment they had to help comfort their shaken friend. The two of them joined Anna in wrapping their arms around the now sobbing young boy. Anderson was standing outside the med bay and had luckily glanced through the window, otherwise he'd have barged in at the worst possible time as he quickly put together what was happening. _That's it, I'm putting her in for some shore leave. They need something to take their minds off of just how damn much they've lost. Hmm... A trip to the Citadel would be a good distraction for them, Hackett has been pestering me to deal with Udina anyway. There's that apartment I've thought of buying there too, although I think it would be more for Anna than me. _It made Anderson smile for a moment before his usual slight frown was back in place after he looked back to the three young teenagers that had somehow wound up under his care.

**Two Days Later.**

"So...blue..." He had seen aliens sure, but Dick had never been introduced to an asari before. If the glazed look in his eyes was anything to go by, Artemis would have sworn he was in love. She slapped the back of his head to get him out of the trance before he got himself into trouble. Dick glared at his friend while M'gann looked offended at his adolescent behavior. "Jerk." He muttered under his breath, rubbing the back of his head while they walked on.

"Nice job Artemis, and stop staring kid, it's not polite." Dick found himself wondering how Shepard knew exactly what had happened, without even looking over her shoulder as she led the three of them to a local shopping district. It was a bright, sunny afternoon with only a light breeze, which made it a perfect day for shopping in Shepard's opinion. As for the whole asari business, Anna couldn't blame anyone for going a bit dense if they had never seen one of the mono-gendered aliens before. She certainly had been a little stunned, to say the least, upon laying eyes on an asari for the first time. But, she had had a friend 'gently' bring her back to reality, so she never had the chance to make a fool out of herself at the time.

'Um...yeah. Sorry Shepard, won't happen again." Despite being offended a moment ago, M'gann had to bite her tongue at seeing Dick so apologetic to Annabell. Their 'fearless' leader seemed all too nervous around the older woman, and in a way, it was kind of cute seeing him act his age for once.

"I hope for your sake it happens plenty of times kid, in a few years anyway." Dick couldn't stop blushing as Anna gave him a friendly wink and Artemis paused a moment before bursting out into laughter. M'gann was a little more understanding of his embarrassment, and tried her best to hide the smile on her face.

"Can we not talk about this anymore...please?" Dick was wanting a change of subject and fast, and much to his eternal gratitude, Shepard let the matter drop, for now anyway. Unfortunately, Artemis was enjoying this way too much to just let him off the hook that easily.

"I wonder if she's the same shade of blue or if certain parts are darker than the others?" The lewd wink she threw towards Dick only made him want to run for cover since even he didn't need that particular image drawn out for him to get what Artemis was hinting at. "Oh I was only kidding!" Artemis had doubled over and could barely keep herself from hitting the deck as she and M'gann shared a good laugh at his expense. Shepard could only chuckle at the whole affair since it had been a very long time since she had felt this good. If she was being honest, it was because of just how badly she still missed her own younger brother and twin sisters.

To throw off any probing from their personal telepath in case she had started to get concerned for Shepard, Anna threw in another comment in regards to asari anatomy that had Artemis blushing next. "Certain parts _are _darker, now moving on...hmmm... let's get you two something decent to wear. If I keep walking around with you dressed like that, the fashion police will be all over me before the day is over." That made M'gann chuckle as Artemis and Dick both shared an offended look this time as they entered the nearest clothing store they could find.

"Who's idea was it to go for the Lost and Found box?" Dick's right eye twitched in annoyance as he looked over his shoulder towards Anna who was giving him an equally annoyed look from a nearby clothing rack. He blushed even harder after she slapped a hand on her butt and reminded him of the first time they had spoken face to face.

"Oh, I didn't realize you liked having your butt on display. We can always go back and get the hospital gown again." He proceeded to stick his face into another rack of clothing at Anna's taunt, maybe if he was lucky they wouldn't catch the blushing this time. "Or I'm sure we can find a nice banana hammock for you instead." At that point, Dick wondered if he'd have to hide his face for the entire day.

"You know what they say about payback right?" Dick muttered darkly, just loud enough to be heard by his two friends and Shepard. Drawing a curious look from Anna, he pulled his head out of the rack and grinned mischievously. "You might find the door of your quarters locked from the outside." It was lame even by Wally's standards, but it was the best Dick could come up with on such short notice and after being so thoroughly embarrassed as he'd been already.

"Is that really the best you can come up with? At least threaten to steal all my clothes when I'm in the shower or something." Anna just sighed and shook her head at his weak excuse of a prank. _I have much to teach this one of the dark side. Okay Shepard, way to go all Emperor Palpatine there. Geez, I really need to lay off the old sci fi vids._

"Oh I'm sure I can get creative, given enough time Shepard. Maybe rewire your amp when you're not looking so it gives you a shock anytime you try to go all glowy." With his tech knowledge and expertise, it'd be a piece of cake for the former Robin. Anna didn't appear to find it so amusing as she started to 'stalk' towards the youngster.

"I can still use my plain old fists you know...being a marine and all." Anna had to give Dick points for not instantly backing away, as he instead stood his ground. _I like this kid. He doesn't know when to quit...like me. Huh._

"Do I have to put the hose on you two?" Artemis asked, getting between them before they could attack each other right there. She'd have put her money on Robin, but that wasn't the point. She didn't want to end up in jail their first day out of the hospital.

"Please do not fight here. ...Or anywhere for that matter." M'gann added in, hoping they wouldn't have to explain why they had destroyed a shopping district to Anderson.

Shepard's reaction surprised all three of them as she doubled over in laughter, and waved at them to relax even as she got a few strange stares from a couple of the other customers. "Oh come on! You two really think I'd hurt him? Your buddy just got _out _of the hospital, no point in putting him back there. I just wanted to see what he was made of, and it looks like I was right. He really is your fearless leader, good for you kid."

"Um...thanks?" Anna burst out into laughter again when Dick still hadn't dropped the defensive pose he'd put up when she 'stalked' over to him.

"It wasn't him I was worried about Shepard." Artemis grinned as she disappeared into a changing booth, a rather large bundle of clothes in her arms. Shepard sighed at how much the archer was going to cost her alone. Then she smiled as she remembered her father was picking up the bill for them. Even so, Anna still made it a point to watch and make sure they didn't bankrupt him either.

M'gann brushed her hand over several different fabrics as she made subtle changes to the outfit she was wearing already. "Artemis is right Anna, on a good day Rob- Dick could probably disable you at least. Oh, I like this one! Uh..." Tapping the side of her head with a finger, Anna got the idea quick enough that M'gann was testing out the different fabrics simply by altering the clothes she had on with a thought when she caught sight of Shepard's confused look.

"That is so cheating, but handy Megan, I will say that. As for your friend, we might have to test that theory someday." Anna's curious, and slightly envious, look changed to a more serious one a moment later. "But seriously, don't screw with my amp Richard John Grayson, I will not be happy."

A sudden shout from a nearby dressing room startled half the customers in the store, and irked a certain marine. "Gah! Don't call me that..._Annabell Helen Shepard_!"

"Excuse me Megan..." Anna said with a smirk, as she simply walked right into the men's dressing area.

"Hey! What the hell Shepard! _Ocupado_!" A high pitch yelp caused Artemis to pop her head out of her own dressing room. She only got to see a blur as a shirtless Dick ran out as quickly as he could, with a blue glowing Shepard two steps behind him. She had seen him run before but she didn't think he could run _that _fast. The fact he was half dressed only added to her confusion while M'gann just shook her head and sighed in defeat. So much for a quiet day out.

"You're only making it worse on yourself...hah! Two for flinching!" Artemis and M'gann caught up and saw that Dick was in a headlock and receiving an old fashioned 'noogie' from Shepard. Despite flailing around and trying to escape, Dick wasn't able to help grinning from ear to ear.

"Should we assist him?! Is he being injured? I have never seen that type of attack before..." Artemis had to facepalm at M'gann's question as Dick wriggled free from Shepard's hold. "Oh..." Artemis got a mischievous gleam in her eye as she turned towards the martian.

"You have a point M'gann, Dick obviously can't protect himself so...GET HER!" Artemis tossed a dumbfounded M'gann at Anna who 'fell' when the young girl lightly bumped into her. The young archer landed on the woman next, while a thoroughly confused Dick shrugged his shoulders, grinned, and jumped on top of the pile they had created in the middle of the store. Needless to say, the store manager wasn't nearly as happy as the three kids and their supposedly adult guardian were...

**Twenty Minutes Later...**

"Why do I even bother sometimes... For the record, the public seeing an Alliance officer rough housing with three teenagers in the middle of a damn clothing store, especially if she's my daughter, does not look very good for me." Anderson held up his hand to silence any possible excuses as he continued. "Having said officer and teenagers being arrested for disturbing the peace is worse. But having to bail all of you out of jail, that was the icing on the damn cake. Tell me why I shouldn't have left you four to stew in that cell instead?" They were on their way back to the base, and all four of the recent 'escapees' were crunched into the backseat of Anderson's air car. None of them were about to complain given the glowering look on the older man's face.

"Our charming personalities? Ow!" _"__You're the one who pissed off Shepard!" _Artemis said as she glared at Dick, who had just elbowed her in the ribs.

"_I'm so royally screwed right now...hope you like the new clothes guys." _No one missed the sarcastic tone in Anna's voice.

"_I am sorry for my part in all of this Anna, I should have not partaken in the roughing of the house." _Anna could only sigh since in all honesty, it had felt pretty good to let her hair down like that, despite the trouble it was causing them now. Besides, it was impossible to be mad at M'gann anyway, far as Shepard was concerned.

Dick was still glaring at Artemis when she stuck her tongue out at him. _**"**Artemis, don't even-"_

"You have three seconds to stop talking behind my back before I turn this car around and take you back to jail. One...two... thr-" Anderson never got to finish as the vehicle was rammed by another, larger, transport. "What the?" Looking over his shoulder as the kids and Anna did the same, they saw that the vehicle behind them was coming up for another hit to their rear engines. "Hold on!"

Anderson surprised the attackers by pulling back on the controls and flipping their car completely over the trailing vehicle, ending up upside down behind them. He twisted the car one-hundred and eighty degrees, righting them in a split second while heading away at top speed. As his passengers' stomachs caught up with the maneuver, they were able to catch a better look of the vehicle that was tailing them. It was an unmarked black model, and Dick had far too much experience with what was likely coming then he would like. "I think they want us alive, step on it!" What he wouldn't give for an EMP batarang right about now.

"You think Captain Obvious?!" Shepard snapped, Anderson having since pulled his sidearm and tossed it back towards Anna who had already rolled down her window. "Keep it steady! They're coming back around and they do not look happy! Maybe your little Top Gun trick had something to do with it!" She didn't wait for a reply as she leaned out the window and started shooting, forcing the driver of the other craft to back off or risk taking a shot to the face.

"Shepard!" Artemis pulled Anna back inside just as a cargo transport, that was heading the other way, nearly clipped the side of their ride. Any closer and she'd have been a smear on the side of the vehicle in question.

"Let them get closer, I have an idea." M'gann said next, hoping that Anderson would listen as he let off the gas a moment later, although she didn't have to read his mind to know he didn't like the idea at all as the black air car started to draw close. It wasn't until her eyes started to glow a bright green, that the driver in the attacking vehicle swerved to the side at the last second, the martian having manipulated the controls directly. Unfortunately for the driver and its occupants, another air car was in its path and wound up broadsiding the vehicle. If not for the armored plating, the vehicle would have exploded but instead it simply crash landed onto the ground. The air car that had hit it wasn't so fortunate as it crumbled hood first in on itself. Luckily for them, it was empty, having been an automated taxi service cab.

"Only one? You'd think they would have sent more after us." The appearance of three more similar black vehicles behind them caused Anna to give M'gann a dark glare for saying anything. Tempting Fate it seemed, was not a good idea even in this reality.

"This is Commander Anderson to Alliance HQ. We're under attack by an unknown enemy force!" He had sinced pulled up the contact link on his omni-tool one handed while keeping the vehicle they were in racing towards the nearest Alliance base.

'If you give us the three passengers you're carrying we can end this without any more unnecessary violence Commander.' The fact that the voice had come from his omni-tool told Anderson that they were being jammed. That meant these people were a lot more trouble than they were equipped to deal with at the present time. That possibly meant a human terrorist group, one of the Alliance's worst nightmares, next to the batarians. Anna seemed to be thinking along the same lines, and the determined look in her eyes made Anderson proud since there was no way they were handing over the kids.

"In the words of my father's generation, you can go fuck yourselves." Anna replied, shutting down his omni-tool after reaching over the front seat, while the older marine tried to avoid the three vehicles behind them. Anna was back to firing at the cockpit windows of each of the new vehicles, but they seemed to be shielded as her weapon had no effect on them. "Great, this is useless." Anna tossed the pistol on the floor and primed her biotics next, planning to do this the old fashion way as she leaned out again.

"Hey are you nuts?! There has to be a less stupid way of dealing with them!" Dick shouted as the other craft started firing on them. It seemed that whoever these guys were, they were done being nice.

"Holy shit! Everyone hang on!" Anderson had to dip the car's nose steeply to avoid the four small fighter craft that had suddenly appeared in front of them. "Oh you've gotta be kidding me!"

"There, the train tracks!" Artemis shouted, hoping that they might be able to lose some of their pursuers among the tracks and any trains that were passing through. It was a risky maneuver but she didn't see any other choice, not if they wanted to stay alive anyway.

"Who the hell are these people?! This is overkill, even with what we usually deal with!" Dick was quick to add in as Anderson jerked the wheel to the left, avoiding a missile barrage at the last second before following Artemis's advice despite his better judgment. Considering what they were up against though, any idea was better than none.

"This is going to get a little... bumpy." David understated as he started to weave and swerve his way through the ground traffic. Their pursuers didn't let up though, even as one of the trailing air cars smashed into a maglev train. The ensuing explosion was enough to obscure the view of one of the following fighter craft and it didn't have enough time to dodge another air car. Losing its right wing in the mid air collision, the fighter craft slammed into a building before it too went up in smoke.

Anna let out a shout of frustration as three more fighters appeared on their radar. "Dammit! These guys don't know when to-" As the new craft fired, it became quickly apparent who's side they were on as the three remaining attacking fighters were cut down in seconds. The two air cars that were left tried to break off pursuit, but the Alliance fighters were not letting that happen as they too were quickly turned into piles of scrap metal.

"This is your friendly neighborhood Joker speaking. We're not picking up anymore incoming bogies, looks like the skies are clear. Just follow us and we'll get you to safety, unless you prefer to be chased around the greater D.C. area for a while yet, I mean it's your call." Anderson and his daughter were quite glad that the voice that came over his omni-tool was not the creep that had been on it a minute ago. Artemis, Dick, and M'gann just stared in shock at the pure irony at apparently being saved by a pilot nicknamed Joker.

"Nice work pilots! I owe you boys a case of beer!" Anderson laughed as one of the pilots' responded a moment later.

"Cases, I believe you meant to say sir. At least two a piece I figure...hmm better make it three." Dick had the strange impression that this guy could have been a younger version of Alfred, Bruce's old butler, given the british accent he could detect in the second pilot's voice.

Anna would have gladly given the three pilots the ride of a lifetime for pulling their asses out of the fire, but she wasn't going to let them know that. "Don't press your luck flyboys." She quickly replied, earning a grin from Anderson since he couldn't have put it better himself. The three kids in the back just smirked as their fighter escort guided them to their designated landing zone without further interruptions. "Well, that was more excitement than I like, but at least we got out of it alive right?"

"Gotta say Anna, you certainly know how to make life interesting. I don't think I've ever had a fighter jet escort before." Artemis's smirk was the widest of the bunch.

"I would prefer the phrase...badass pilot who saved the day...heroically. Your mic is stuck on by the way. One minute to base."

"Oh shut up motormouth Chopper, you didn't even hit a bogie! Striker and I got all five!" The one called Joker was quick to add in.

"You always gotta ruin my moment, huh? Remind me to kick your ass when we touch down Joker. Oh that's right, you're about as brittle as a window pane. I wouldn't want to get my foot stuck up there. Hey! What the fu-" They could understand the frazzled pilot's shout when one of the fighters did a complete loop around the other, within inches of touching, and settled right back into formation.

"Just proving a point that I'm the best damn pilot the Alliance has, and I didn't want you to forget it, brittle bones or not there Chopper. You might be able to kick my ass down there, but while we're up here, I win. Go pout. Ah...and here we are, Commander Anderson you are clear to land on pad seven, be sure to rate my performance! Hint, anything less than pure awesome and I won't come save you and your buddies again. Naw...I will, but I won't be half as fun."

As they landed, more or less in one piece, Anderson breathed a sigh of relief. He had all of one second to relax as his three charges were already out of the car and running towards the landing fighters, his daughter swearing at them as she tried to catch up. _I'm gettin' too old for this shit._

M'gann headed for the pilot who seemed to be having the most trouble exiting his craft. "Oh yay...now comes the fun part, Chopper I swear to christ that if you don't stop laughing I'm gonna shove one of my crutches straight up your- ah...hi there..." The young pilot hadn't exactly been expecting a green skinned girl to float up to his cockpit and start hugging him. "Can't...not breathing! Oh great...there goes another rib!"

"Oh, I apologize!" M'gann was quick to let go of the ace pilot, her green cheeks a shade of red that matched her hair. "Ah...here, let me assist you." Before the irritated pilot could tell her he didn't need any damn help, thank you very much, Flight Cadet Jeff "Joker" Moreau found himself floating out of his fighter. As he slowly descended towards the ground, his feet were planted lightly on the landing pad a moment later. If not for the fact he needed both crutches to keep himself upright, he would have taken a swing at the girl, so he had to resort to verbal shots which were his specialty.

"Ok, first off, don't ever do that again. Second, try not to break any more bones, would ya? Third, if I had wanted any goddamn help, I'd have hired a damn maid by now. Ah crap..." M'gann was close to having tears in her eyes when she realized she had accidentally injured the man, both physically and otherwise. Joker felt like an ass for lashing out when he realized he had upset her, but damn it, he didn't need the help. He had made it this far on his own, but he sighed and looked down at the young girl who had since landed in front of him. "Hey, no need for the waterworks babe. Ok so I'm not exactly a people person, sue me. Now would you smile for me please, seriously _smile_, now!" Joker gave the alien girl his best pleading look as he noticed the two officers approaching them. "Oh hi Lt., Commander, have a nice flight today? I hear it was sunny, with only an eighty percent chance of almost being shot down. Who's your green friend, who I'm totally getting along with?"

"I'd be really glad her boyfriend isn't here right now, if I were you...'Joker'." Jeff had never heard Dick's approach as he spun around as best as he could only to see the young man standing on the wing of his jet. The cold look in his eyes made the normally confident pilot swallow nervously. "As for who she is, maybe take that extra crutch shoved up your butt out, and ask her yourself."

"Hey! Get off the damn fighter kid! See all the warning signs covering it, they aren't for show!" _Who the hell are these weird kids anyway and how the hell did he- WHAT THE SHIT?! _Joker nearly fell over as another young girl seemingly appeared out of nowhere next to him, just as quietly as the boy who had somehow gotten on his damn baby. It was a good thing she lightly grabbed his shoulder, or he might have fallen and broke his ass from sheer surprise.

"Hello Wiseass, thanks for saving our bacon, now shut up and try to be nice for five minutes before I do more than break a rib." Artemis's threat wasn't necessary since she had scared him badly enough already into behaving himself. Jeff didn't doubt she could, and would break him in two if he gave them anymore trouble. "There, was that so hard?" The little pat she gave to the top of his head was just so _wrong, _in his opinion anyway. Besides, she'd messed up his hair.

"Easy Artemis, I think you about made him piss himself as it is, no need to get violent too. And Joker right? You made the mistake of upsetting M'gann here, hence why her friends are ready to kick your ass from this side of D.C. to the other. But, I'm sure they realize that you just saved their lives, so they might go easy on you."

"It is okay Anna, I am fine now. I would appreciate it if we could get Jo- that sounds so odd...get this nice pilot some medical aid though." M'gann was still a little upset, but she wasn't ready to start sobbing on the landing pad at least.

Jeff was about to open his mouth and protest how badly the girl had insulted his call sign, then thought better of it after seeing the looks on her friends' faces. "Y...you know what, I think I could use a little help um..." When he didn't continue, M'gann realized he didn't know her name yet.

"Please, call me Megan!" The hopeful look in her eyes could have melted through six feet of solid ice.

"Yeah...Megan, huh wasn't expecting that one, mind helping me get to the med bay?" Dick had hopped off of Joker's fighter when 'Megan' smiled, and nodded to the man's request even if she wasn't entirely sure what she could do to help him without hurting him further. She at least had the presence of mind to make herself appear human, much to Anna's relief, without having to be told. It seemed the attack had instilled some healthy paranoia into the martian. "Huh...cool trick, how do you do that anyway?" "_Gah! What is she?! Stay cool Joker, stay cool. Maybe she won't anal probe you if you continue to try being nice to her. God I hope so...gotta admit, even for being so creepy she is kinda cute..."_

"What's an anal probe? It doesn't sound very nice, to be honest." M'gann frowned as she helped the injured pilot towards a nearby entrance. "Oops! I shouldn't know that should I? Sorry, I'm not in the habit of hiding my abilities and-"

Joker got an eerie feeling as everyone around her just started shaking their heads and grinning. Luckily for him, he didn't know that all five of them had heard his thoughts from a moment ago. "Um...yeah, let's not continue talking about it."

"Do you really think I'm 'creepy but cute'? Sorry, sorry, I'll just stop talking now." Despite being increasingly creeped out by the young girl's various abilities, Joker found it hard to stay mad at her for some reason. **"**_Why do I get the feeling today is going to end with 'And he was never seen again...' Better call my folks just in case..."_

"Oh , what's your family like? Hello Megan! Sorry again." Joker just sighed but smirked since he liked to talk about his folks if someone actually asked about them. Anna and the rest of the people outside could only chuckle at the two as they disappeared inside the base.

"She's going to give him a heart attack without even trying isn't she?" Anderson just shook his head at the overly nice and innocent M'gann before turning back to Shepard and the remainder of the group. "Today's attack might not be the last. I was going to bring this up later, after I had gotten us back home before I had to bail you out of jail, but my decision has been made for me. I think you might be safer on the Citadel, Anna, you and the kids."

"If you think I'm going to run and hide from these bastards-" She knew that her dad was concerned for her well being, for all of their well beings, but she wasn't the type to run at the first sign of trouble.

"That's _exactly _what you're going to do _Lt._Shepard." David's tone brooked no argument from any of them.

"Um...what's a Citadel?" Dick's question couldn't have been asked at a better time since Shepard had looked ready to continue the argument even with her dad's tone saying there would be no swaying his opinion or his mind for that matter.

"Think Death Star, but much prettier and minus the ability to destroy an entire planet." Anna sighed but nodded reluctantly, knowing that her father was just doing what he thought was right. "Alright, but I will be finishing my N-series training dad, even if I have to sign up behind your back to do it."

"These kids are your responsibility now Anna, a badge on your chest can wait a while longer." The fact she had been accepted at all was the proudest moment in Anderson's life, but he wasn't about to leave them unprotected if he could help it.

"If I might interrupt, I have a few ideas that might make everyone happy." Dick said, drawing the attention of the two hotheads. "You know our past so you know that we aren't completely helpless. Get me and Artemis some time at Wayne manor or one of the hidden caches that Bruce had set up over the years as Batman, and we can at least try to cobble together some defensive measures of our own."

"You think that old junk can take a mass accelerated round? I don't think so." Anna wasn't about to take a chance with her new charges' lives just so Richard could get back in the saddle.

"We'll be heading to the Citadel in two days, I'm not tempting fate by having you run around the city. You're getting a detachment of marines for your own protection and none of you are allowed to leave this base. Do I make myself clear?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Anderson had a feeling that if push came to shove, Artemis and Richard would ditch their escort the first chance they got. Even so, his decision stood and they weren't about to argue about it. Besides, he planned to have Anna watch them like a hawk anyway.

**Later that night...**

"I'm really starting to regret trusting you..._Richard. _I'm going to ask you nicely to untie me...once." The anger in Anna's eyes would have made most batarian slavers run in fear. In Dick's opinion, her stare could have melted down titanium, but he wasn't interested since he had things he needed to do. "Dammit, I know that look, I practically perfected it. You're going anyway, aren't you? Please don't do anything stupid kid... Dick, you might get yourself captured by those thugs who attacked us, or worse, and for what? Some old junk?"

Dick was about to leap out of the window but stopped and looked over his shoulder. The fact she was tied up by an improvised batarang that he had put together proved how capable he was, but he wasn't without his understanding. "I know what you've gone through Shepard, but if you had a chance to get something, anything from your old life, you'd take it wouldn't you? Please, don't try to stop me since I _need _to do this."

"I'm coming for you." Usually if she said that sentence it would wreak of intimidation, but not this time, as Shepard found herself far more worried by the determination in his eyes as he nodded to her and disappeared into the night. _This would be so much easier if the little bastard hadn't pulled my amp, and disabled my damn omni-tool. Clever friggin kid is gonna be the end of me... Now how the hell do I get out of these ropes? Damn..._

Anna realized the quickest and easiest way to get loose would also be the most mortifying. "Uh fuck it...there goes my pride." Shepard was never going to live this down as she concentrated on getting the resident martian's attention.** "**_HELLO MEGAN! Hey M'gann wake up! NEED SOME HELP HERE! WAKE UP!" _A loud thump was heard as the martian rolled out of bed, stunned at having someone shout so loudly inside her mind. Shepard gave a sigh of relief despite the fact she had had to ask for help.

M'gann quickly dashed to Shepard's nearby room. **"**_I'm up, I'm up! What's wrong Anna?! Oh..." _The moment she saw Anna tied up to the chair, M'gann filled in the blanks. She didn't hesitate in undoing the ropes, her eyes glowing green for a moment before the bindings slackened around the woman, falling to the ground with just the hint of a sound. "He escaped and plans to head to the nearest hidden supply cache, doesn't he?"

"What gave you that idea?" Anna sarcastically growled as she picked up the discarded amp and ran out of the room, M'gann two steps behind her.

"Hey...what's up?" Artemis cleared the sleep out of her eyes as she saw the concerned looks on the other two women. "Oh...tell me he did not do what I think he did! Dammit...Dick, I'm gonna kill him myself if our 'friends' from this afternoon don't do it first!"

"Get in line." Anna said, as she replaced her amp and grabbed a spare omni-tool out of an emergency kit on the wall. The fact it was keyed to her DNA she wasn't about to mention to them, since that might have seemed a little paranoid as she put the omni-tool onto her right arm. "I'm either going to hug the little prick or break his legs when we find him...hmmm maybe both."

"Perhaps we should assist you in-" M'gann was cut off by a frustrated wave of Shepard's hand.

"You two are staying right here. I don't need to worry about two more targets for those bastards to capture. I'll bring him back, I promise. Hey! What did I just say? ...Hello...pissed off biotic here." A now glowing Anna yelled at the two teens who ignored her as they ran along with her to go after their stubborn friend.

"Did you forget Shepard, that you're supposed to be our guard? Wherever you go, we go, and besides, Dick is our friend, one of the few we have left." That got Shepard to stop for a moment as Artemis's words caught up with her. "Yeah that's right Anna, we happen to like you, even Dick, so get used to having us around. Let's get moving!" A small nod from M'gann only confirmed what the archer had said already, and despite the dire situation they were in with Dick, it made Anna smile.

"Well don't I just feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I take it you two know where we're headed?" Even though she had tried to sound as sarcastic as possible, Anna almost wanted to cheer at the fact she had actually reached the three displaced teens.

"Dick shared a lot with us, one of those things was the location of supplies and equipment Batman had set aside in case of emergencies. The closest one is under the Washington Monument." Anna just gave Artemis an 'are you shitting me?' stare for a moment. "Best place to hide something is in plain sight, at least that's what Bruce always said. I'm assuming the Monument's still there?"

It seemed like a longshot at best to Shepard that any hidden cache would still be intact after all these years, not to mention the fact that this was a different reality to them. "Yeah, it's still there, but are you sure that our Batman was as overly prepared and paranoid as yours?"

M'gann nodded her head at the doubtful marine. "Some things don't change Anna, no matter what reality he was a part of." The young alien quickly remembered a file her uncle had secretly given to his wary niece to show what type of man Batman truly was. Even when he had been part of the 'Justice Lords' in another reality, where Superman had become a dictator over the world with the former League by his side, Batman had proven just as over prepared as the one they had known. M'gann and Artemis were more than positive that this one had followed suit since that hadn't been the only example of realities having similarities.

"Alright, I believe you. We can borrow an air car and... hey! Get away from that vehicle!" Anna had turned her back for two seconds and it seemed that someone else had timed their own escape at the same moment as theirs. Was this going to be one of those days when nothing went according to plan? It certainly seemed that way to Shepard.

Hey! Feel like sharing Wiseass?" Something about the way Artemis had said that told anyone within earshot that a 'no' answer was not a good answer.

"Ah shit, shit, shit! Um...nothing to see here, just doing some maintenance work on this transport and...aagghhh watch the arm!" Artemis had sinced walked by and grabbed the pilot who had saved them earlier by his left arm, all the while she was grinning at Anna and M'gann.

Anna crossed her arms and gave the wary man her best intimidating glare. "Taking a little joy ride Cadet? I'll tell you what, we can skip the court martial if you do me a favor."

Even though he looked terrified, a small smirk appeared on Joker's face. "Sorry but I gotta say no, anything more than some light over the clothes action could be fatal." His smirk faded as Artemis pressed a little harder on his arm. "Okay! Okay! Call off Blondie would ya?! We're not killing somebody or robbing a bank right? Because everything else I'm fine with."

"Artemis, let him go. Besides, one good pinch and you could actually kill him." Anna and Joker both breathed a little easier when the archer let him loose, but the biotic was practically in his face a moment later. "Now, we're on a bit of a tight schedule Fly Boy, so if you can dispense with the snark for two seconds, I'd greatly appreciate it and I won't have to sic her on you again. Get this thing in the air."

"O...kay. Joker airlines is now boarding, hopefully before the alarms I disabled kick back in." Less than a minute later, he had started a preflight check as everyone secured themselves in their seats. "Since this is probably going to be the last time I get to fly something other than a garbage scow, where we headed?"

Artemis leaned forward and got in the pilot's face before settling back in her seat. "Washington Monument, Wiseass. And don't even start, or I'll really give you something to cry about."

"You mean the ancient obelisk shaped tower they built to honor the first American President...what? I read more than Fornax, I'll have you know." The surprised looks he got from all three of his passengers were annoying as hell. "You guys want an aerial tour of the city before we all get arrested? Nope? Fine, your loss."

"Just get us to the damn giant stone penis okay?" M'gann had to blush and look away as Joker was torn between snickering and cringing in fear as Anna started to glow a dark blue. Pissing her off further was definitely not looking good for his continued health.

"Got it, ETA to the planet's largest hardon, two minutes. Just curious here, couldn't you have waited to do some sight seeing legally?" Joker looked over his shoulder at the three women in the back of his transport before returning his eyes to the sky ahead of them.

"Not when one of our closest friends ran off in the middle of the night...oops! Hello Megan!" M'gann gasped as she got a dark glare from Anna and Artemis for revealing why they were out to begin with. "At least I didn't mention that we are worried about people who want to capture-"

"M'gann!" Artemis shouted loud enough to make their captive pilot wince in the front seat. "Shut. Up. Now."

Every instinct was telling Jeff to follow her advice, but he spoke up anyway a moment later. "I take it this guy is the creepy kid who was standing on my baby earlier today? If he's as close a friend as you make him out to be, I'd probably be doing the same thing you guys. I know I'd be doing this for my sister, hell even that ass Chopper. Grab him as fast as you can and I'll have us back at base before you know it. Or the base MP's, hopefully."

"Got it Wisea...Joker, thanks." Artemis uncharacteristically smiled and gently squeezed the pilot's right shoulder. "M'gann and I will take the blame for this one, along with Bird Boy since he's just as much our responsibility as Anna's."

"Anna huh? You got a pretty name there Lt.-" As a dark glow filled the cabin, he stopped talking and prepared to land the craft. Anna smirked at Joker's quick response and was the first out of the transport. "Good luck Arty, kick his ass for me."

"Joker? Don't push my good will any further." She shot over her shoulder before climbing out right behind Anna followed by M'gann.

"I'll just be right here, you know totally alone and defenseless while I keep this baby running." M'gann quickly stopped and turned back towards the sarcastic man. "Whoa! This isn't what I meant!" Joker yelled as he started floating nest to her several inches off the ground next to the young girl. _"Why did I open my big damn mouth? Wait...what's with the weird echo in my head?"_

"_That's odd, it looks like a normal size to me...oh sorry I have simply added you to the group's mental link." _M'gann smiled at the confused pilot as she and the others walked towards the grounds surrounding the Monument.

Joker just sighed and crossed his arms in irritation, while he tried his best to censor his more unsavory thoughts, no easy feat for him on a regular day but he managed it by some small miracle tonight. _"Right...well this isn't super creepy at all...floating over the ground...next to a cute green girl from freakin Mars...while hearing voices in my head. Yup, I have officially gone insane. Might as well enjoy the ride I guess."_

"_You aren't the only one that had a similar thought when I was first introduced to this whole thing." _If Joker could have jumped, he would have as he heard the Lt's voice in his head next as she went around the side of the monument, finding a stairwell that hadn't been there the day before. "_Found it! Artemis, M'gann, flanking positions now! And M'gann, you __didn't have to take Joker with us!" _Old habits were hard to break even if they weren't technically going against an enemy. Anna wasn't about to take a chance.

"_It didn't feel right to leave him behind, especially when Jeffery started complaining about it." _M'gann was quick to reply, following right behind Artemis as they went down the stairs that Dick had uncovered for them.

Jeff's eyebrows shot up when M'gann had dared to use his real name. "_Hey! One, it's Joker, or hell even Jeff but never, ever...that name. Only my mother calls me that. And two, I woulda been just fine on my own...alone...in the cold dark night."_

"_The fact he has a mother is somehow surprising to me, and you know, not the spawn of a demon or something. Besides, if you hit someone hard enough, you'd break every bone in your hand, so I think it was a good idea that M'gann brought you along there Wiseass." _Joker would have normally had something to say, but Artemis beat him to the punch.

"_You guys never give up do you?" _Dick said with a sigh as he joined their conversation. "_The fact that you can never stop the banter is annoying enough when I'm trying to hack this door. Come on down, it's not like I have a choice right? Ah, bingo!" _Dick was still so focused on getting past the last security locks that he jumped when Anna slapped him on the shoulder. "Gah! That was SO not cool Shepard."

"Oh really? You know what isn't 'cool'? Being tied to a damn chair, having my omni-tool shorted out, and my amp removed so I can't stop you from doing something so utterly, incredibly stupid! THAT wasn't 'cool'!" Dick got a deja vu moment as Anna pushed him up against a nearby wall and pinned him there, as he dangled several inches off the ground.

"Ah crap...I'd help ya kid but...I'm not going to since I value my life more than you do apparently." Dick glared only for a moment at the annoying pilot that had likely brought his friends and Anna there before having to look back at Shepard.

"Don't you _ever _pull any shit like that again! You understand?!" The last thing Dick had ever expected to see were the tears starting to fall from Anna's eyes as she shook him to get her point across before slowly letting him down to the floor.

"I'm sorry Anna...was it Mindoir? Is that why you're so...protective of us?" Criminal psychology lessons extended to more than the criminals he had been used to dealing with as Batman's sidekick. They could be applied to normal people as well, but he was trying to help her rather than incite her into making a mistake, as had been common with the scum of the earth he and Batman had fought on a regular basis.

"You don't get to ask about that after scaring the hell out of me tonight, so let's get your crap and go." The disappointment in her eyes hurt Dick more than any physical attack could have. Even if he knew he was right, having Anna disappointed in him was like having Bruce disappointed in him. He didn't know that he respected her that much until that moment.

"I'll make it quick. M'gann, Artemis...I could use a hand. I don't know what we'll need so I had planned to assemble whatever I could here, but you guys found me too quick. We'll just have to drag it back to the base." The two girls just nodded and followed him passed the newly unlocked door at the bottom of the stairs.

"Looks like this Bruce _was _just as para-" "_Get down!" _Dick's voice shouted in their minds as a hidden defensive turret popped up and targeted the small group. They scattered just as the turret began to fire. Luckily it had decided to track Anna, whose Barrier blocked the old 9mm rounds while she used her omni-tool to Overload and disable the turret, short circuiting it before it exploded. The only problem now were the five others that had activated around the caverns perimeter. "Oh you gotta be joking."

"Ok so he's _extremel_y paranoid! I admit it, happy?!" Dick shouted as he opened the first box he came across and had to run before he was riddled full of holes. The box he had opened contained a spare working replica of Green Arrow's favored bow and quiver. Having spotted it, the moment she was able, Artemis made a beeline for the archer's weapon before slinging the quiver onto her back while she ran on. Never breaking her stride, Artemis shot at the first turret she could see and was rewarded with another explosion.

As the three teenagers ran for their lives Shepard calmly walked across the large room, absorbing most of the fire with her Barrier and Overloading two more turrets. They had been concerned when her Barrier had flickered for a moment, but she seemed unharmed as the three of them worried about the remaining defenses.

M'gann used her phasing ability to get behind one of the still operational turrets before she phased her hand into its inner workings and ripping out some vital components in the process. It didn't explode, but it wasn't firing anymore which only helped to relieve the pressure on the rest of them.

Not to be outdone, Dick flung one of the explosive batarangs he had been able to find at the last working turret, which instantly destroyed the weapon. "Wow...did not see that one coming..." That had actually been a lot worse than he had been expecting, but Dick didn't mention that out loud since he was walking on eggshells as it was. It shocked him that Bruce would allow deadly weapons as defenses in any of his bases, let alone guns. This man was truly different from the Bruce he had known since losing his family, the 'Flying Graysons'.

The three of them, plus one terrified pilot in the stairwell, heard almost manic laughter a second later as Anna doubled over, her laughter sounding more desperate now. "Something...in the air...get out!"


	4. Why So Serious?

_Archer83: Vergil and I would like to give a shout out to all of our great reviewers and to a couple of them in particular. So thank you RJNorth , DarkOne, FinlandNative, Chris Adair, Nomad-117, hermanavalos1, and our guest reviewers._

_Perseus, since you came up with such an awesome idea for us, here's chapter 4 a little earlier.__Breeze, we hope you enjoy this chapter... and then immediately start studying again for your finals, or we will send Harbinger after you if ya don't! :P (For the record that last part was Vergil.)_

_Vergil: Indeed, we really do appreciate all the reviews that are actually halfway coherent. I'm not as nice as my partner, shall we say. All the same, thank you everyone that's favorited, followed, and reviewed so far._

_We earn our rated M rating before this chapter is done ladies and gentlemen. As you might have noticed by now, we seem to have a thing for emotional whiplash with this story lol. Anyway, hope you all enjoy!_

**Chapter 4: Why So Serious?**

**Washington D.C., Beneath the Washington Monument**

**March 19th, 2178**

**23:47 EST**

"Oh no...Joker laughing gas! He must have had a cannister locked away and a bullet punctured it!" Luckily for them, the air wasn't thick with the stuff or they'd be dead by then, but they had to get rid of it quickly before it was too late. The horrifying sound of his own laughter reached Dick's ears a moment later. "M'gann! ...different batch...immunity...ain't working!"

Still by the stairwell, Jeff looked confused for a moment before he realized just how deadly the situation was. "What? I've never even been down here before...oh right..._that _guy. Wait, that guy?! Oh...we are so screwed." He had been a kid once, and had loved the old crime fighting stories that had been on the extranet. He never thought he'd be in one though as a slight forced chuckle came out of his mouth. "This is...not how I...remembered...those...old shows being like...at all!"

"Save your breath...Wiseass!" Artemis shouted back, already feeling the effects of the gas as she too doubled over a moment later.

"Just stay calm everyone, I am on it!" M'gann was luckily unaffected by the poisonous cloud, the biological changes she had made to herself caused her to be completely immune to most poisonous gases and toxins. All she had to do was find the cannister and dispose of it as she desperately searched for the source of the gas. Finding a shredded box in a nearby corner, she saw there was indeed one purple tank that was spewing forth the noxious cloud into the air. Telekinetically lifting the cannister, M'gann looked around for a way to dispose of it before seeing a fairly deep chasm nearby. Tossing the leaking cannister into the abyss, M'gann quickly pulled on the loose rock outcroppings around her and sent hundreds of tons of stone after it, entombing the dangerous poison far below them.

"Need...antidote...over here!" Artemis managed to say between gasps for breath that were getting increasingly harder to take in. They all knew what was happening, except for Anna and Joker. Even as she gasped for air it dawned on Artemis how ironic that sounded, but it didn't make it any less terrifying. Having their faces paralyzed in the parody of a smile while they laughed their lungs up? Only a madman as twisted as the Crown Prince of Crime could come up with such a horrible way to die.

M'gann's luck held out as she immediately flew over to a nearby lab setup and found several vials of the antidote sealed and an injector ready to go. "Oh thank you Bruce!" She didn't waste any time in collecting all of the items before heading for Anna first, who was the closest out of the group, before prepping the injector and pushing the needle into the side of her neck. The results were immediate as the laughing stopped and she was able to take in great lungfuls of much needed air. An instant later, the still gasping woman grabbed a nearby injector for herself before taking two of the antidote vials from M'gann.

"I am never...doing this...again. Get...Artemis...I'll get Richard...and Joker. Go...M'gann!" The martian had hesitated since she hadn't wanted to leave Shepard's side, but her repeated order spurred M'gann into action. Stumbling to her feet, Anna had to shake the dizziness and spots from her head, but she was able to get to Dick's side with minimal trouble. Popping him as M'gann had done to her, Dick was soon back to normal with a grateful look on his face as Anna got to Joker's side a moment later. The fragile pilot had been lucky that he was still in the stairwell, and the furthest from the gas. As she quickly reloaded the injector and inserted it into his neck, Joker started to calm down from his laughing fit and slumped down next to Shepard.

"What's...with the toxic...laughing...gas...and broken ribs...Shepard?! I don't...get paid enough...for this shit!" He paused to simply breathe for a second as his eyes fell over the other three affected people, who were still badly gasping. "Get me up...Megan. We need...to get them... medical help!"

"Joker! You're hurt!" M'gann kneeled next to the clearly injured man, gently picking him up.

"We'll be fine...Joker. Sheesh that is so...weird to say after...being poisoned by the self...proclaimed Crown Prince of Crime's laughing gas. It's you...I'd be worried about. How many ribs...did you break from that laughing fit?" Dick said as he and Artemis quickly made their way over to his side while Anna slowly got to her feet on the stairwell itself.

"I think...all of them...probably." Joker wheezed, but he was relieved beyond words to see that the rest of them were indeed alright, or at least quickly getting there.

Anna just glared at Dick as he looked up at the woman he had almost gotten killed. "You don't have to tell me...I know I screwed up Anna. I'm not suited for the job...yet everyone thought I was a good leader and yet here we are, almost poisoned and shot full of holes. The fact I lost half my old team even before this should tell you I am not what they need me to be. It was my call that got us trapped in this reality in the first place."

"Hey, I'll gladly...let you...spank me instead of the... kid...Shepard. I'm just...that selfless." Somehow Joker was still able to grin at her, despite the pain he was in. Anna just laughed at the incorrigible pilot, since didn't plan to spank anyone as she looked at Dick who was looking at the stone floor of the cavern. She wasn't disappointed anymore, she was ashamed for not realizing just how heavy of a burden he had been carrying until then.

"Richard, from what I've seen for myself, you are more than capable and strong enough for the job. The mark of a true leader is someone that doesn't want to lead in the first place. They respect the power and responsibility that comes with the job. Your friends respect and follow you, that should tell you all you need to know. You've made mistakes, but what person hasn't? The important part is you get to learn from this one and do better next time."

"Um...heroic pilot...dying here. Can we save the...speeches for later...please?" M'gann was already heading outside with Joker by the time he finished speaking, leaving Anna, Dick, and Artemis to collect whatever they planned to.

"I'll take care of Joker, just help Dick get the material possessions he seems to need so badly." M'gann said over her shoulder and didn't see Dick hang his head in shame before as Anna nodded silently at the alien girl. She'd just have to hope and pray M'gann got back in one piece. The young martian knew the risks, and they all knew she could get to a hospital and back the fastest out of everyone there. That didn't mean Anna liked the idea however, but she saw no other choice in the matter.

"Alright, just be careful Megan." Artemis said as they silently watched her go.

Anna put a hand on Artemis's shoulder, knowing the risk better than anyone that they were taking. "Let's get this done before I change my mind Artemis."

Artemis could only nod as they went back inside. Dick meanwhile felt something was wrong since Bruce was many things, but he had never condoned lethal force in his defenses before. He couldn't have been _that _paranoid in this reality. He had since tried to access the Archive Computer that was a common staple in every hidden cache that Batman had ever set up, and it seemed to follow true in this reality as well. So far he was having little luck. "Anna, what else can that omni-tool of yours do anyway?"

"Let me take a look and I'll get back to you on that. I never thought I'd say this, but for being a century and a half out of date, your Batman was a genius. It might not hold a candle to most current technology, but some of this stuff would have given it a run for its money in the early days. Take that black and red suit for example. Neuromuscular enhancements, synaptic controls, cloaking? We didn't have working cloaks until about two decades ago." Anna ran her omni-tool over the advanced suit that was on display next to the rest of the old spare Batsuits. She was quite impressed by what her scan had revealed before heading to the computer that Dick stood beside. "The more I see of your world, the more I'm impressed. Impressed enough that I won't hurt you severely if this doesn't pan out. I'll see if I can get a memory scan off this old dinosaur you call a computer."

The smirk Shepard threw Dick's way made the former Robin chuckle nervously since he wasn't sure if she was kidding or not on the bodily harm part. "She's got you pretty pegged I think Dick. Don't ever do that again, or she'll have to get in line." Artemis growled in his ear before looking at the floor between them. "I was worried, we all were when we found out you had ran off on us. Still, I can't say I blame you since...if I had had someone like Bruce around in my life, I'd probably want a means to remember him as well."

"Oh my god..." As he turned toward the now ashen looking marine, Dick knew something was wrong. Before they could see what she had seen, Anna had 'accidentally' Overloaded the computer. "Shit! The computer had a hidden failsafe; it's going up in smoke and I can't salvage anything else! Sorry kid..." It seemed to draw suspicion away from her since Dick sighed and nodded. Shepard wasn't so quick to believe that he bought her story that easily, but on the other hand she was dealing with Batman's genius so who was to say otherwise? What she didn't tell him wouldn't hurt him, and that was much closer to the truth than she ever would have thought that line could get considering what she had found.

Now she had a face to put to the gas, needless to say, and Anna would never forget the man's insane laughter as he 'put a smile on Batman'. What had been left of him by that point anyway. Looking at her right arm as if she expected the Joker's face to pop up on the holographic display just to mock her attempt at trying to protect Dick, Anna had to force herself to look elsewhere as M'gann came back and picked up on her thoughts. That was the last thing she needed now.

"I got Jeffery to a hospital as fast as I could-" Seeing the tears starting to form in the compassionate girl's eyes, Shepard just shook her head and quickly pointed to Dick. M'gann didn't need to be told twice as she more than understood what Anna was trying to do. Somehow she was able to stop the tears from falling, but there was no way she'd be able to hold it together forever, not after what she had 'seen' from Anna.

"M'gann...are you okay? You look...terrified." Artemis had noticed M'gann's instant emotional change the second she had looked at Anna. She smelled trouble, but one look from both Shepard and M'gann told her that it was probably better to let it rest for now as she caught where they were looking. Looking over her shoulder to Dick, who was busy rummaging through a box in the other side of the cavern, Artemis put the pieces together and only nodded. "Alright, but I want some answers soon."

"No you don't, not this time." As Artemis crossed her arms, Anna walked over to her, trying her best not to gain Dick's attention. "I'll tell you later. Alone." It was the best she could do, and with a solemn nod from M'gann, Artemis had to let it go for now. It must have been something terrible if M'gann was willing to keep it a secret from their leader.

"Fine." Artemis's simple answer, although delivered in a tone that made Anna wonder if she was doing the right thing, relieved the marine considerably as she lowered the hand she had kept behind her back with a biotic Stasis ready to throw at a moment's notice. With that, the three dispersed and shifted through whatever Dick deemed necessary to whatever plans he had in mind, and carried the parts and equipment to the transport they had arrived in.

It took the better part of three hours, but by the time they were done, Anna had a few ideas of her own that could just work with what she had seen of Bruce's toys so far. With the appropriate mass acceleration tech behind it of course. Anything was better than letting her mind wander over to her omni-tool and what it contained in its memory core. Pulling up the schematics for the advanced Batsuit that her omni-tool had been able to download, Anna let her sea green eyes sweep over the technical specs in an attempt to keep her mind busy as they finished loading up the last of the crates.

"I see you checking out the suit, thinking of making your own?" Dick asked, earning a much needed smile from Anna as she shook her head at the question.

"Nah, I'm no vigilante like you were Dick. I just find it interesting, that's all. Besides, it's not everyday I get to see such an amazing array of technology from over a century and a half ago. I guess that's one thing Lex and I have in common, or had. I like to tinker. I'm what the Alliance calls a Sentinel, and I'm able to combine my biotic abilities with technical know-how. I've always been good with machines so it just seemed like a natural fit at the end of the day." Dick had to smirk since despite his earlier misgivings, he at least had a potential lab partner if Anna was half as smart as she claimed to be.

Anna's omni-tool suddenly alerted her to a missed message she had received while they went through the cavern's contents. She knew who it was before she even looked at the screen. "I swear, the man never sleeps." Anna muttered under her breath as she opened the message up, confirming her suspicions a moment later.

[One new message]

From: Com. D. Anderson

To: Lt. A. Shepard

Audio message follows:

'Get your ass back here now.'

"He doesn't waste time with a lot of words does he?" Artemis asked, earning an annoyed look from Shepard for her trouble as the newly equipped archer walked by to the transport ahead of the marine. Luckily Anna knew how to fly the vehicle, otherwise they would've been stuck out there until someone came to pick them up.

"No I don't Artemis. This night has been, how'd you put it? Very whelming..." Anna just about jumped out of her skin when she saw that David was leaning against the side of their transport, another one having landed close by. To say he looked frustrated would be a massive understatement. Artemis instinctively pulled her bow and already had an arrow ready to fire before she realized who it was while Dick's hand fell to one of his old batarangs about the same time. "I'd put those down, you're in deep shit as it is."

"Oh crap, we are so...wait, you stole my line!" Dick immediately wished he hadn't said that as his batarang was ripped out of his hand by the highly disappointed marine. "I was only kidding!"

"You three...you _four _are under house arrest until I say otherwise. If I hear even one complaint, your collective asses will be headed to the brig." Anderson's eyes swept over all of them, his glare showing that he meant every word. When he got to M'gann, Anderson tried to avoid her incredibly remorseful, almost pleading look, but couldn't bring himself to. There was something else in her gaze as well that made Anderson wonder if they hadn't found something that had put the otherwise polite and compassionate girl on edge. The fact that same look was on Anna's face made Anderson more than a little concerned. "I think you've had enough excitement for one night. Come on, you three are with me. _Lt. Shepard_, bring that...borrowed...transport back."

"Thank you Mr. Anderson...we'll...be glad to leave this place behind." Anna and M'gann shared a glance before they managed to calmly walk to the respective vehicles in question. Dick hadn't missed the look or what M'gann had said, and neither had Anderson, but both let it be for now. There would be plenty of time to discuss it later, whatever it was. Artemis meanwhile threw a glare at Shepard, silently warning her that she still had a promise hanging over her head and the archer was prepared to beat it out of her if necessary.

**Later that morning.**

After they had been allowed to unload everything under strict supervision, the team and Anna had had plans to pass out for the rest of the night and most of the morning. David had other ideas as he came down to the living quarters and blasted an air horn down the hallway, a cup of coffee in his free hand. "Rise and shine ladies and gentleman. Coffee's on, breakfast is waiting in the mess, and the day is just beginning." Anderson sighed as he walked over to his daughter, who was still face down and grumbling in bed. "You can sleep when you're dead Lt., and get a decent uniform on; that one is torn to hell."

"That can be arranged." She muttered under her pillow she had pulled over her head in a futile attempt to block out the noise as Anderson blasted his horn again. "Alright alright! I'm up!" She hissed as she threw the pillow across the room before going to the shower to get cleaned up. She hoped a little freezing water would get her functional again.

"You're worse than some of our old instructors back home Anderson." Dick said from the door, looking just as tired as Artemis and M'gann, although the martian still looked upset about something as they popped their heads out of their respective rooms. His rather loud entrance had woken them up almost as fast as Anna, who they all could hear yelling profanities from her shower since their rooms were right across the hall from each other.

"Damn...never heard half of those before. At least it wasn't a Black Canary scream. We wouldn't have eardrums if that was the case." Artemis earned a strange look from Dick and M'gann, who had to agree with her after they thought about it for a moment. BC's power was a screech loud enough that could do more than shatter eardrums.

"Believe me, the seventeen year old version of her was bad enough. Probably still have some hearing loss... Now get yourselves cleaned up and dressed, breakfast is at 0700, sharp. You're late, you don't eat." M'gann didn't have to read his mind to know that Anderson wasn't bluffing, but she was able to smile a little all the same at the older man's unique humor.

The older man couldn't help smirking as they scattered instantly towards their separate quarters. "_Huh...still got it. M'gann, you have three seconds to get out of my head. One..._**" **_Two...hmm might be some hope for that one at least. _He had to strain his ears, but David thought he heard an embarrassed chuckle coming from M'gann's side of the hallway as he walked towards the mess hall. It made the Commander shake his head and smile in amusement at the overly curious martian girl.

After they all showered and got dressed, well in M'gann's case it was more having to decide what outfit to form around herself, the four of them dashed to the mess hall. The martian noticed Anna looked distracted, but decided not to pry into her thoughts. With what the older woman had found out recently she couldn't blame her. Getting to the door with only seconds to spare, Artemis tripped Dick and he went sliding passed the entrance and down a hallway. Before he knew what was happening, the archer had already knelt over his chest and had her face directly above his. "What are you doing?!"

"Making sure I have your attention! We're supposed to be a team_Richard_, yet since we've been here, you've ran off on us and caused all kinds of trouble while dragging us along for the ride! Damn it Dick, what happened?! You used to be better than this!" Artemis snapped, wanting answers to her friend's erratic behavior

"You know what happened Artemis! I screwed up and dragged us all to some twisted future/alternate reality where M'gann and the League don't even exist and we all died trying to save _YOUR_boyfriend!" Dick didn't get to say anything else as Artemis slammed her head into his face, breaking his nose and making him see stars. The blood pouring out of his nose was of little consequence since he felt pretty terrible after he saw the hurt look on his friend's face for his very poor choice of words. It might not have been their Wally, but it didn't matter at the end of the day and he should have known better.

"What the hell? I swear to god, dealing with you three is like trying to herd cats. I can't leave you alone for five minutes can I?" M'gann and Anna raced passed him to see what was happening as Anderson just stared in shock at the bleeding young man on the floor. Artemis was still straddling him, almost looking tempted to hit him again, before she hopped off and took a step to the side. The look on her face told David to let this one go, for now. He planned to have a very long chat with them all before the day was over however. "Get yourself to the med bay Mr. Grayson. We don't need the authorities involved, so I believe you were distracted and walked into a wall." Dick just held his nose and nodded as he headed toward the medical section.

"Wait! Would you like some company, I would be happy to go with you." Dick couldn't say no to M'gann's worried frown as she jogged over to him.

"...ure A'gann. I eed oomone oo alk oo nyay." Dick managed to say as he slowly walked away, his thoughts heavy with everything that had been happening lately.

"Can we please get through the morning without anymore trouble?" Anna asked, earning a tired sigh from David who hadn't even noticed that they were late for breakfast. He had more pressing concerns on his mind as he silently gestured for them to follow him. Artemis and Annabell knew better than to argue as they went to Anderson's private office which was almost at the other end of the complex. The entire walk was done in silence, only adding to the tension.

"What's going on between the four of you? Don't try to brush it off either since I don't need to be a telepath to know you found something down in that hidden cache Anna." David asked as soon as the door to his office shut behind Artemis. "Whatever it was, it's obviously put more pressure on all of you, so please, talk to me."

"Talk to your 'little girl' since I don't even know. She and M'gann have been hiding it from me, but mostly from Dick since Shepard found whatever she doesn't want him to see on Bruce's computer. Before we could get a good look at it, the computer 'overloaded' itself." The glare she threw Anna's way was annoying enough as far as David was concerned, but the obvious snide comment thrown in at the beginning of Artemis's speech was just salt in an already open wound.

"You want to know what this is all about?" The deep growl that came from Shepard caused Artemis to take a step back from the woman. "Fine, but I warned you, just _remember_that." Even in her angered state, Anna was hesitant as she raised her right arm and pulled up the video file that she had discovered last night. It was the only copy left, at least in Washington, having destroyed the evidence on the Bat Computer before Dick could access it. "These are...the last moments of Bruce Wayne's life, _our _Bruce Wayne I suppose, and they were not peaceful ones."

Artemis and David were very glad that they had skipped breakfast when Anna activated the video and they were treated to a nightmaric front row seat of the Joker, his girl Harley Quinn, and a tied up Batman. The reason why Bruce hadn't escaped already became apparent from the numerous bruises, cuts, and most likely broken bones he had endured already from the mad duo's hands.

"Evening boys and girls! Joker here, and tonight I bring you my piece de resistance! Bats here, or should I say _Bruce_, hasn't been half as fun to play with since his little orphan Dickie shuffled off the mortal coil not so long ago. He's gotten slow...and boring, AND IT'S PISSING ME OFF!" They all flinched as the insane man punched the wounded hero in the jaw. Even Harley Quinn looked a little green around the gills as she looked away, but the worst was yet to come. Why she hadn't blasted the Joker with the bazooka she still held onto was a mystery to David.

"You talk too much Napier, but of course you always did." The wounded man spit out a bloody and broken tooth, directly into the Joker's face. Even in his moment of certain doom and a slow death, it seemed Batman wasn't about to go down quietly.

"YOU KNOW I HATE THAT NAME! ... Oh well, it's no big deal _Bruce_." His enraged shout turned into an almost cheery laugh as the bound man just stared at him defiantly, the demented clown resting his hands on Bruce's shoulders. "After I'm done with you, I plan to pay a visit to Barbara and Commissioner Gordon. Oh what fun we'll have! Let me ask you a question Batsy, why so serious eh? Let's put a SMILE on that face! Hahahahahaha...MWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"I told you he'd replace you Harley. Sooner or later he'd find someone new, and it seems I was right. He plans to do to Barbara what he did to you." Even as the Joker pulled out his knife to start on the 'smile', Bruce was still working them against each other, still keeping his cool despite the odds that were stacked against him. None of them could imagine being that calm with such a psychotic lunatic like the Joker to contend with.

"Mista J, you'd never do that...would ya?" Harley had heard it before from Bats, add that on top of the physical and emotional abuse the Joker put her through, and she had every reason to doubt him. Yet there she was, still helping the madman with his plans which seemed to have finally yielded results and she couldn't have been more terrified for her life.

"Oh Harley, I would never betray you...now be a dear and go start the car." The man just waved her off as if he hadn't a care in the world. Knowing the Joker so well, Bruce rightfully assumed he really didn't care at all.

"Okay...puddin'." With a quivering lip, Harley looked towards the bound and wounded Batman with guilt in her eyes as she turned away from the two.

"Watch this! It's a killer gag!" Joker quietly whispered to a captive Bruce as he brought up a hand to the 'flower' he kept on his garish jacket. Bruce knew what was about to happen since the old spitting flower gag had a deadly twist where the Joker was concerned.

"Harley, watch out!" Half expecting something already, the woman instantly spun around and only took a glancing shot off of her right arm from the acid that had shot out of the flower's center. She managed to bite back the scream as her flesh started to burn away from where the acid had touched her, but the Joker was already running towards her with his knife upraised. She had to drop the bazooka when her shoulder gave out on her, leaving her wide open unless she managed to move.

"I'm gonna gut you like a fish, precious!" The man was stunned when the agile younger woman kicked the knife out if his hand, and caught it in mid air with her uninjured arm. Before the madman knew what was happening, she had plunged it into his stomach up to the hilt, surprising them both before the pain kicked in for the Joker. "That isn't...funny...Harley. That...isn't funny...at all." A bloody smile appeared on the dying man's face as he fell to the ground and he pulled a small device out of the pocket of his jacket. "I still get...the last laugh you...little_bitch_."

"Harley, get out of here!" Bruce shouted as he watched the former self proclaimed Prince of Crime prime a laughing gas grenade which rolled out of the Joker's cold fingers. When the terrified woman moved to help him, Bruce just yelled even louder. "GO!"

"I'm sorry!" Harley shouted over her shoulder as she ran out of the camera's line of sight, getting out of the Batcave right before the grenade went off.

As an all too familiar manic, desperate laughing emitted from her omni-tool, Shepard turned the device off with a horrified look on her face. She wasn't the only one that was shocked into silence as Artemis and David fully understood why Annabell had tried to keep it a secret. Richard would go ballistic since even though it wasn't the same Bruce, it wouldn't matter. Bruce was Bruce, there was no two ways around it.

Anderson had since all but fallen into his office chair, looking far older than what he was after seeing that vid. "My god...I can see why you didn't want the boy to see this Anna. You made the right call by destroying that computer. I would have done the same thing myself, and you bought us time to break it to him gently."

"No...we didn't." Artemis, tears falling down her face, pointed up at an air vent where a pair of wide open eyes stared out into the office below. It seemed Dick had followed them, and he had seen everything.

The door to Anderson's office opened a moment later as a desperate M'gann ran into the room. "Dick slipped away from me on the way to the med bay! I'm sorry, I couldn't get here sooner and...oh no..." She had since caught onto the fact that Dick was only five feet away from them and put her hands over her mouth in shock.

An enraged scream and banging could be heard a moment later as the vent cover was kicked out of the way before Anna had her hands full with the former Robin who had literally flown at her throat. "YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO KEEP THAT FROM ME! YOU FUCKING BITCH! YOU DESTROYED EVERYTHING I HAD LEFT OF HIM!" Everyone was too stunned to move except Annabell Shepard as she managed to flip Robin over and out of the office. If not for M'gann having left the door open, his trip over her shoulders would have been stopped against the metal door. Instead, he slid down the hallway, having regained his feet in midair with a controlled flip, but he didn't have time to charge back in as Anna had since ran out after him. She barely had time to put up a Barrier as several batarangs flew at her face.

She knew better than to assume that Richard didn't have a backup plan, even she knew that deception and misdirection was part of the legend behind the Dark Knight. She was proved correct a split second later as Dick was right behind the thrown projectiles. A flying kick aimed for her stomach which would have left her open for any number of follow up attacks if not for her still in place Barrier. Richard bounced off of her biotic field with a thud as he hit the floor hard. He was right back up as he flipped to his feet, but Artemis had snapped out of her daze and had joined the fight. Before he knew what was happening, Dick had been clotheslined by the archer's bow before Artemis wrapped the string around his neck and pulled hard enough to get his attention, but not to hurt him unless he struggled. With the string still tied to her bow, he had nowhere to go as long as he didn't manage to throw her off of his back.

"Stop! You have to stop this Dick, I know you're hurting, but-" She never got to finish as Dick tried to buck and thrash under her, forcing her to clamp her mouth shut lest she bite her own tongue off.

"SHUT UP! What do you know about hurting?! Your entire family was nothing but a bunch of criminal scumbags, but at least you had one! I have nothing, NOTHING!" Everyone went silent as the grave when Anna activated her omni-tool and pulled up a video file that she had saved off of the computer. Dick's eyes couldn't have gone any wider as Bruce's face appeared above her right arm.

"Since Selena won't let it drop, I've decided to make this recording for you. Dick...if you could only hear this, it figures that I had to wait until something happened to you before I realized exactly how much you meant to me. I'm sorry for not being there for you, not protecting you like you deserved. You were always like a son to me...no, you were my son, and I failed you when it mattered the most. You made me the proudest I've ever been in my entire life when you and the rest of the group you formed saved the world, and here I didn't even know about it until you had revealed the Light's existence. Of all the people in the world that could have come together and made a difference, we couldn't get past our petty differences and ideologies. But you...you brought your friends together and forged a group of heroes out of them where I could never manage with Superman and the rest of the 'adult' heroes of our world. Richard, wherever you are now, I hope you're at peace. I will always love you son."

Dick had stopped trying to throw Artemis off of his back long before the message got to its halfway point. By the end, his rage had turned into racking sorrow filled sobs as Artemis tossed aside her bow and held onto him as tightly as she could. "I know Dick, I know. Just let it out...believe me it helps." She would have become another Cheshire, or worse, if not for the friends she had made, if not for _him_believing in her. Now it was her turn, their turn to be there for Richard, who needed someone to believe in him, now more than ever. Especially given what he had just been hit with since this was emotional trauma at its worst. First he had seen the Joker kill this reality's Bruce Wayne, and then had seen that same Bruce leave a message for his 'son'; something which his 'real father' had never done for him. At least, as far as Artemis or M'gann knew.

"I caught him...recording a message like that...once. In case anything happened to him 'in the line of duty' he had said. He rarely...ever said that he loved me...but you know he was...a man of few words. An honest emotion out of him...was rare...but they were there. He never asked for more than anyone could give and always...showed silent gratitude where it mattered." Dick's words were softly spoken and everyone's ears had to strain to hear them, but it seemed that Anna had chosen the perfect message to get through to the young man's blind rage.

"You should be proud son. You had a hell of a father, and he had one hell of a son. He was proud of you and loved you, always remember that. Even if that message wasn't meant for _you_in particular, it seems that our Richard Grayson was just like you at the end of the day." David's knees protested at the action, but he had knelt beside Artemis and Dick's side as Anna and M'gann watched from a close distance.

"I'd have loved to have met him Richard. People like him are in short supply, but at least he gave us you." Anna added in, earning a silent nod from everyone around him as Dick managed a small if tear filled smile at the praise, even if he didn't feel he deserved it for everything he had done recently. "I can't imagine what you must be thinking, even if our own personal telepath was making a point to stay out of your head, but I just want you to know that in the short time I've known you...well, let's just say you remind me of the family I lost." That had been directed at all three of the teenagers, but Dick still couldn't believe that Shepard had said it all the same.

"The moment I laid eyes on the three of you, you instantly reminded me of what Anna lost before I met her. So I understand exactly what she means from what she's told me about her own family, Richard. She had twin sisters and a younger brother, who were a bunch of hellraisers, but good, honest kids. Starting to sound a little familiar? I can't blame Anna for getting attached so quickly, even if she would never admit it in a million years." Anderson looked to his daughter, a glowing pride in his eyes, before he turned his gaze back to their young charges. "Hell, I know I certainly give a damn about the three of you." The heart warming smile on Anna's face only confirmed Anderson's words as she acted as if she had something in her eyes.

Dick had since stood to his feet after Artemis let him out of her arms and wiped his eyes on his shirt sleeve. "I'm sorry I said those horrible things Anna, you didn't-"

Dick felt even worse when the tears she had been holding back until that moment burst forth. "Just shut up while you're ahead kid." Anna said as she hugged the embarrassed youth. Artemis and M'gann didn't join in as they had the other day, but their silent support was still noted by the two all the same. With the worst over with, David let them sort out the rest on their own since he didn't do well with tender moments as he used to after his marriage had fallen apart. Even so, he looked back over his shoulder and caught his adopted daughter's gaze and smiled briefly at her before leaving the four of them alone. He was probably making a mistake, again, but damn it they were already ingrained in his old heart. "_I am definitely getting too old for this if a bunch of kids are making me soft... I think we need to have a talk about limits and privacy M'gann..."_

"_Oh, I'm sorry! It's just...well, my species are usually so open and we keep no secrets from each other, especially those we care for, because of our telepathic abilities. If you...would rather I don't however, I understand and I will try to refrain from...crossing any boundaries you put into place."_Anderson knew that M'gann was telling the truth since even her mental voice couldn't contain her embarrassment and slight shame at accidentally upsetting him.

"_What's that phrase you always say? Hello Megan? __Don't worry so much child, you're obviously new to humanity so we'll skip the court martial this time. That was a joke, by the way. It is however best if you don't pry too much because most people will not appreciate your unique gifts, or try to even understand them, let alone you for that matter. Especially if they catch onto the fact you're in their heads without their permission. We homosapiens enjoy our privacy too much, which can be problematic at times I'll admit." _Some past issues could have been avoided if people were more open with each other, but as he had said already, that wasn't how the universe worked. **"**_Just be careful is all I ask M'gann, alright?"_

"_Yes Dav- Commander Anderson, I understand." _M'gann instantly chided herself for being so informal right after Anderson's comments.

"_For the record, you got it right the first time M'gann. Unless it's official Systems Alliance business, it will always be David to you, and your friends." _It was M'gann's turn to try to hide her heartfelt smile as she wiped at her eyes.

Anna had since stopped crying and managed one of her customary grins as she and Richard pulled apart. "Is our chick flick moment over with Anna?" For his trouble, Dick had to duck a playful swing from Shepard.

"Come on, all this emotional crap has worked up an appetite. Collect your glorified boomerangs first Richard." Dick saluted Shepard which only made her and the others chuckle before they went on to have a late breakfast. The fact that they seemed closer than ever didn't escape the other marines' notice, but no one had the courage to ask what had brought on the sudden change from twenty four hours ago.

Dick still had a lot on his mind, but he wasn't about to make the same mistake as he had before in trying to shoulder everything on his own. He had friends, family, and while they weren't related to him in the slightest, that didn't matter to the former Robin. Whatever the future held for him and his 'extended' family, he was able to feel hopeful since waking up in this reality where so much was different, while some things had remained the same.

**The next morning...**

"Tell me why I agreed to help drag all this tech crap with us again Richard?" Anna asked, earning an amused smirk from the tech savvy young man as he helped her, David, Artemis, and M'gann pack up for the trip to the Citadel later that afternoon.

"Because I seem to remember you promised me my own personal workplace in the apartment your old man got on this Citadel we're heading to. Just so long as whoever ends up dragging these boxes to the shuttle doesn't bang them around too much, we should be fine. There are a few delicate pieces that might go boom if jarred around too much." When he got a rather dark stare from Anna and David, Dick had to blush since he had forgotten to mention that earlier. "I'm sorry, it slipped my mind until...you asked just now."

"Let's just hope security doesn't raise a fuss over what you're bringing with us." David muttered under his breath, but he earned an amused look from Artemis as she passed behind his back as he finished loading the last of the boxes into the air car. Most of the space was dominated by Richard's junk since the three young teens hadn't had a lot of time to collect anything beyond some clothes in the time they had been in his care. It was a tight fit all the same, but Artemis had proven quite good at managing to pack everything securely yet still leave room for them to be comfortable until they reached the spaceport.

"Enjoy the nice weather while you have it guys. Where we're going there's no real atmosphere, since the Citadel is a gigantic space station. Everything is artificial, so enjoy the breeze and the fresh air while you can." M'gann caught Anna's subtle flinch of pain as she hopped into the front of the vehicle next to Anderson.

"Anna...are you alri-" A less than subtle look from Anna silenced the question before it could be completed, and M'gann wisely did not press onward.

"Gigantic space station huh? I wonder what other species we might get to see in a place like that?" Richard tried to pose the question as nothing more than a mild curiosity at best, but Artemis knew him too well to be fooled by such an innocent sounding inquiry.

"He really means, 'what other hot alien babes will I get to drool over', don't you Puberty Boy?" Even David smirked at her comment. He had been a young man once upon a time and understood all too well what Richard was going through. Shaking his head in amusement, Anderson had to suppress a chuckle at the glare Dick was throwing at Artemis as he pulled their vehicle out into the skyway above.

"Oh, before I forget, I wanted to give this to you before we got on the shuttle Richard." Anna said as she remembered the little project she had worked on all day yesterday. Pulling out a spare omni-tool from her jacket, she did a quick check and made sure it was the right one before passing it along to Richard. "Open up the menu, you'll get the idea soon enough." David gave her a knowing look while Dick looked puzzled until he managed to turn the device on after slipping it into place on his left hand. The other two teens in the back soon understood as well what Anna had put together for their fearless leader.

As he started looking over the files that Anna had saved from the computer in Bruce's hidden cache, Dick felt incredible gratitude towards the grinning marine. A more serious expression crossed her features a moment later. "I should have probably asked, but I thought it was a good idea to delete that...last entry."

"It's ok Anna, you don't have to apologize in the least for taking the initiative on...that one." Richard's honest smile set Shepard at ease. She hadn't hesitated at the time in deleting their Bruce's final moments from the records kept on his database. The boy had been through enough without the possibility of that vid getting into the wrong hands, but she had realized only after she had deleted it that she should have asked him first. So Anna was quite glad that Richard wasn't bothered by the loss of that vid in the least. "I would have deleted it myself if you hadn't."

"Hey...what was that one video you tried to skip past without me noticing?" Artemis wrenched Dick's arm closer to her as her suspicions proved correct, that definitely had been Dick opening a birthday present with a huge smile on his face. "Play that one..." When he attempted to pull his arm free from her she latched on harder and growled at him. "Play it...or I'll _play it _for you."

"Since you asked _so _nicely...fine. Can I at least have my arm back first?" A look from Artemis silenced any hope of Dick getting his arm free without a fight, so he sighed in defeat, and hit the play button before she did.

The video was from his eleventh birthday. There were a few minor differences given the alternate reality, but it was virtually the same as he remembered. "Of course you just had to pick this one..." Artemis shushed him as a smile appeared on her lips as she continued watching. "Yes...we had a food fight, Alfred was not happy to say the least. It was one of the few times I heard Bruce laugh so hard. Happy now? Here let me just... ow!" Apparently going for the off button had been a bad idea as Artemis twisted his arm slightly.

"I would suggest you not move Dick." M'gann added a little worriedly, but mostly just tried to cover up her laughter, earning an annoyed look from him as the video continued. "I never knew you were so accurate with a piece of chocolate cake..."

Apparently M'gann had said the magic word as Shepard perked up instantly and looked over her shoulder. "Someone say chocolate? Oh...would you look at that? Nice throw...waste of a perfectly good cake, but still a nice shot." Dick just sighed and let his head slump as Anna, Artemis, and M'gann watched an eleven year old cake covered Dick Grayson tackle his laughing father. They all laughed when Bruce, still laughing cheerfully, had chocolate cake rubbed in his hair before managing to get to his feet again.

"Alright, that's enough you three." Dick yanked his arm free and lost his omni-tool in the process, making Artemis grin wider still as she held the device out of his reach as the video continued onward. "I am so getting revenge for this."

"Having a father who loves you is nothing to be embarrassed about son, I only wish more kids could have been as lucky as you were to have him. Hey! I'm driving here!" Anderson was startled when Anna leaned against him, something she hadn't done in years. Anna jerked back up instinctively, but she was still smirking slightly at the little smile she had gotten out of David. "Yes, I love you too, but you aren't as young as you used to be, nor nearly as small." Anna couldn't help but laugh a little at the man's words since he did have a point.

"Are you trying to say I'm fat?" She tried to come off as imposing but they all knew better. M'gann didn't have to read Shepard's mind to see the mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"That's what I heard Shepard." Artemis chimed in, much to Anderson's annoyance.

"I can always snap your bow like a twig, you do know that right?" The smile had returned to David's face when Artemis suddenly had nothing witty to say to his daughter in reply. "Who still uses a bow to fight crime anyway? I never thought to ask, but how did that start?" There had to be a story behind the whole bow thing, she'd bet her entire yearly salary on there being something.

The young archer seemed lost in thought for a few moments before she met Anna's curious gaze. "Sorry to disappoint you Shepard, but you might have to try again another time." Anna was disappointed but she hadn't entirely been surprised by the young woman's refusal to share anything about herself. She knew enough of Artemis's past to understand why she didn't readily share anything. "I will say that Green Arrow gave me more than I ever could have asked for or imagined at the time." Anna had to look back over her shoulder and didn't have a witty comeback ready at the lost look on the young girl's face. "Oliver Queen gave me something that my screwed up family never did. He gave me a reason to be better, to do something worthwhile with my life. If I had met him before he had been marooned on an island for five years, I probably wouldn't be where I am now, let's put it that way."

"Did he ever tell you what happened to him?" Anna asked, all trace of her former humor gone from her face as Artemis looked up and slowly shook her head. "I figured not. In this reality at least, he took whatever had happened to him on that island to his grave."

"I know he was tortured, but by who or why he never said...and I never asked again." Someone like Oliver Queen didn't change without something world shatteringly traumatic happening to them first. Considering he had been the ultimate party animal that had had no regard for anyone or anything before he had wound up trapped on that island, it made his change all the more unreal. The fact he had taken steps to make sure as few people as possible knew what had happened to him by trying to act like his old self only made it that much harder to take him seriously when he wasn't in costume, and it worked wonders for his vigilante side gig.

"I read up on him when the three of you first showed up, and scared the crap out of us I might add. I have to say, he was a hell of a guy. He really made a difference in the end, that's more than most people get to accomplish in their lives." Anderson's eyes flicked over to glance at the now silent girl for a second before returning to the traffic in front of him as they neared the spaceport. "Well...time to see just how many alarms Richard's 'cargo' is going to set off."

"My creds are on at least three, maybe five. Double or nothing if he gets strip searched. What? You want in on our little betting pool kid?" Anna smirked as Dick just crossed his arms over his chest and stuck out his tongue at her. "It's not like I cheated and made sure to give them a good excuse..." Shepard couldn't stop herself from cracking a smile at the horrified look on his face. "Oh don't look at me like that! Geez, I'm only kidding Boy Blunder. You have any idea how much paperwork we'd have to fill out if that were to happen?"

"Glad to see where I rate at least." Dick grumbled as Anna, M'gann, and Artemis shared a quick chuckle at his expense while David just sighed and could only shake his head at them all.

"Being stuck with you people in a shuttle for the next eight hours is going to be a real treat, I can already tell. And that's not counting the time after we clear the relay." David was grateful someone from the spaceport's staff had decided to help them with their bags as he turned to the four 'kids' under his care. This was going to be a long trip without them tearing the shuttle apart over some petty squabble. "I still seem to recall that you four have rap sheets and I am still tempted to ground you all. Don't push me, and we'll be fine."

"What are you going to do? Toss us out an airlock?" The smug look on Dick's face disappeared when Anderson seemed to think it over. "Please tell me you're kidding...I'll be quiet..."

"Thank you, now let's go." The stern look on the marine's face softened a bit as they walked towards the terminal. "You're gonna love this; it's not everyday you get to travel to the stars."

"Actually...it was a weekly occurrence for us. That sounded really poetic though. Sorry to steal your thunder, so to speak." Artemis told a slightly surprised David and Anna. "Come on, we have a telepathic alien with us and you know we used to hang out with Superman and the Green Lantern Corp and Hawkgirl, just to name a couple of extraterrestrial people we've known. Heading to space on a regular basis was just part of the job"

"Damn...looks like we have some more reading to do, you three are surprising, to say the least." Anna was quick to say, an amused smile clear to see on her face as they passed through security without incident, which was also surprising in its own way.

"Or you could just ask us on the flight, I figure we have some time on our hands. We did some really interesting stuff. Ah, so many whelming experiences...I know! I'll start with when I single handedly busted Super Boy out of Cadmus." At Anna's dubious look, he decided to amend that slightly. "Okay so maybe I had a little help..."

"Dick...do not tease about such a trying time for Connor." M'gann all but whispered as they neared the shuttle at last. Dick immediately felt like an ass since he had all but forgotten that she and Connor had been close before things had gone downhill and they had wound up separated.

He didn't get a chance to apologize to M'gann as a human woman greeted them near their designated shuttle. "Hello there Commander Anderson, it's an honor to meet you in person. I take it this is the group you mentioned earlier today?" At the small nod from David, the blue eyed, red headed thirty something woman in front of them somehow made her smile, which was already bright enough to blind them in Anna's opinion, a little wider still. "I'm Sarah Palmer and I'll be your pilot on this flight. It's nice to see students like yourselves taking an interest in galactic diplomacy. You're in for a real treat, I promise you. Get ready for a trip to die for."


	5. New Beginnings

_A/N; We will try to add in more personal stuff from M'gann and Artemis's points of view this chapter. Beyond that, apparently Archer has a thing for old shows and movie references lol. Joking aside, bonus points to anyone that can name any of our hidden references through the last few chapters. The first one here is an easy one lol. As always, we hope you enjoy this chapter!_

**Chapter 5; New Beginnings...**

**Oceanic Space-lines Flight 815. En route to the Citadel.**

**March 21st, 2178**

**15:35 GST (Galactic Standard Time)**

Looking over her seat towards the back, the hidden martian looked worriedly towards the restrooms. " "That's odd...Anna is still in the bathroom, and we are almost ready to land." M'gann was a little concerned for Anna because they hadn't seen her for almost twenty minutes. Artemis hadn't been the only one to notice that the stoic marine seemed to have some physical discomfort when they were loading up the car over eight hours ago. Now she hadn't returned from the shuttle's restroom for an unusual amount of time, and it set the teen's nerves on edge.

"Want me to go check on her?" Artemis asked before Richard could open his mouth, which he had been about to if the dismayed look on his face was anything to go by. She knew that he was probably worried about Anna too, but Artemis wasn't willing to take the chance that Dick could possibly walk in on Anna in a less than comfortable position.

"It might not be a bad idea." David was also more than a little concerned as he nodded towards Artemis to go ahead and head into the back of the shuttle.

"Be right back." Artemis told the three of them, as she got up and headed towards the rear restroom area. _She probably fell asleep or something._Considering they had been going almost non stop since the flight had begun, traveling a few thousand light years, everyone was feeling ready to pass out by then. So it wouldn't have surprised Artemis if Shepard had indeed passed out on the toilet. _Huh, please...does she really think a regular lock could stop me...damn I guess it can. Plan B it is then. Bathroom door, you have failed this shuttle!_Artemis grinned to herself, picturing Ollie shaking his head at the terrible joke.

As quietly as possible, Artemis kicked the door open and grabbed it before it could slam into the back wall and alert any of the other passengers. "Hey Shepard, you didn't fall in by any chance did you? Anna! What the hell?!" As she entered the women's section, the young archer startled a half dressed Anna. She wasn't so surprised by her half naked state, it was the bruises that covered Anna's midriff and upper chest that had made Artemis jump. "Did you lose a fight with a boxer in here or something when I wasn't looking?"

"Artemis, shut up for two seconds and shut the damn door!" Anna all but hissed as the young girl quickly followed her snappy instructions, closing the now damaged door as best as she could. Sighing as she sat down in one of the restroom stalls, Anna didn't know where to begin explaining to the wide eyed girl. This wasn't the first time that something strange like this had happened to Shepard, but it was one of the rare times she had been found out.

"I'm going to take a wild guess here and say that this isn't the first time you've had to hide bruises like that." Anna jerked her head up at Artemis who had since taken a spot against the back wall. "Who did that to you?! I'm going to kill them...slowly and painfully." From the venom in Artemis's voice, Anna didn't doubt that the young archer would do it.

"Easy there hotshot. It's not a question of _who_, more like what. I suppose you could technically blame Richard...forget I even said that. Remember those turrets from the other day? My concentration on holding my Barrier slipped up for a split second..." Anna didn't have to say anything else as the pieces fell into place for Artemis. There was no way it was possible, but the evidence spoke for itself.

"You should be dead...not that I'm complaining. We should get you looked at and tell-" Anna grabbed Artemis' arm before she could so much as take a step towards the door.

"Don't you dare tell-" Anna's face softened from the hard and intimidating glare she had cast at the girl as Anna sighed and slowly let the girl's arm go. "Please Artemis, I know that you mean well, but I can't take the chance, not until I at least have an idea of what this means."

"Have you at least told David about...this?" Artemis frowned at the guilty look on Anna's face, she already had her answer before the older woman spoke.

"And what would I tell him? I'm apparently bulletproof? Well...bullet resistant anyway. Yeah, that'll go real well at dinner." Blowing out a breath she had been holding in, Anna had to rub at her temples to fight a headache that was wanting to overtake her. "How would you go about mentioning that you're apparently some type of freak of nature to your father?"

"Is this before or after I kicked my father's ass?" Before Anna could interrupt her, Artemis gently put a hand on the older woman's shoulder. "Joking aside Anna, don't ever think of yourself as a freak. You are as far from that as you can get, bullet resistant or not. Second of all, if your dad is half as loving as I've seen, then he _will_accept you no matter what you tell him. I gotta ask, but when did you find out about this in the first place?"

"About eight years ago. After Mindoir." Anna paused a moment, as if considering whether to fully trust the teenaged girl. Considering that she had looked up information on Artemis without her prior approval or knowledge, she wasn't exactly one to be talking about trust, Anna realized after a moment's thought. "I was hurt pretty bad. I had two broken ribs, and my right leg was broken in at least two different places. I was just a dumb, scared kid back then. I ran away from my new home after a few days, only to get hit by a ground based transport an hour later. The doctors were shocked at how fast I recovered when I ended up at a Vancouver hospital. Dad was so pissed with me...that was one of the only times I ever saw him cry. Only time in my life I got yelled at and hugged at the same time. The whole thing started out because of Mindoir...it was still pretty fresh in my mind and having to move to an entirely new world, to a whole new life was a recipe for disaster, let's put it that way."

"Sounds like you went through a rough time. Good thing you had David to be there for you, I never really had that same connection with my folks. My mother might have filled the role, except she had been in prison for most of my childhood. That left me with my abusive father and older sister who ran off later..." Anna realized then that Artemis must have initially jumped to the false conclusion that David had been responsible for the bruises on her body, but she didn't interrupt the young girl in front of her as Artemis continued. "For a while...I tried to be like them, tried to fit into the role of thief as my father wanted me to be, but things changed when I met Ollie. Err...Oliver Queen I mean. He saw something in me that must have reminded him of himself. Potential to change, to do so much more than we were. He had his list, I had my father and sister to put to justice, as well as the more common scumbags that ruled Starling City."

Anna looked thoughtful for a moment as she realized just how much she had in common with the young archer. Her own parents hadn't been criminals perhaps...save for her great grandfather, but they still had a great deal in common all the same. "I guess we both got lucky in the father figure department, just like Dick. I'll tell my dad when I'm ready, alright? And Arty...thanks."

Artemis had been about ready to leave the restroom when she caught Anna using her nickname. She almost had a knee jerk reaction again, just like she had when Joker had used it, but for some reason, it had felt right coming from Anna's lips. "Ollie called me that, a lot. Why do you think I knee jerked when Joker called me that? Still...it doesn't sound so wrong coming from you Anna."

"Thanks Artemis, let's get out of here before M'gann shows up and thinks we're making out or something." Anna grinned widely at the blush she had managed to get out of Artemis. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Gotta say, red suits you."

Artemis just blew out an irritated huff of air at the lame excuse for a joke. "Oh shut up Shepard; let's go before I leave you with more bruises."

"You could try, but if Boy Blunder couldn't land a hit, what makes you think you can?" Anna just shook her head in amusement at the brave naivety of the arrogant girl she had come to like.

"Missing something Anna?" Artemis smirked at the glare Shepard gave her when she tossed her biotic amp back. Anna immediately figured out how the archer had pulled it off, but she still had to ask as she slipped the amp back where it belonged.

"How the Hell did you do that? Oh right, you were an amateur thief, I forgot. I guess you still have a case of sticky fingers. You know that on some planets, even places on Earth, they cut off the hands of would be thieves even to this day."

Artemis seemed to ponder that for a moment. "Hmm...good thing I never get caught, unless I want to be. Oh, and you're missing your omni-tool by the way. Bye!" She had since slipped out of the bathroom with a smirking if annoyed Shepard right behind her.

Anderson frowned as the two women sat back down near him. His growing concern probably had something to do with the mischievous look in their eyes. "You okay Anna? I was getting a little worried there."

Anna was able to smile honestly as she sat back down, after Artemis had tossed her omni-tool back. "Oh stop being such a mother hen dad, I'm fine, really. Just had a little girl talk with Arty, you wouldn't understand." Artemis threw Shepard an annoyed glare for using her nickname in public, but Anna only smirked. "Consider it payback for stealing my amp and omni-tool."

"Well now I'm thoroughly confused..." David just sighed and looked like he wanted to drop this topic like a hot potato. "You know what, I don't want to know."

"Hey, where'd Dick go?" Artemis was the first to notice the younger boy hadn't been waiting for them when they got back.

"It would seem Ms. Palmer has an interest in Dick, she invited him up to the cockpit." M'gann said, a curious look on her face because she had absentmindedly tried to read the woman's mind and had come up with...nothing. She simply didn't seem to exist to the martian's telepathy, but she didn't let it concern her overly much since they were far in the future. There was probably a good reason she wasn't able to pick up on Sarah's mind at all, but a part of the martian wasn't so convinced.

"I'll go check on him." Anna didn't miss the sudden urgency in Artemis' voice. Somehow, it didn't surprise Shepard that the girl was a little overprotective of her 'fearless leader'.

"You know what, I'll come with you Artemis. You might need some help getting him away from her, Dick is a guy after all and Sarah isn't exactly easy to miss in a crowd." Artemis threw Anna an annoyed look for that particular comment. "Ah...do I detect a hint of jealousy?" _Look at that, a death glare...you're too easy kid. Yup, she's jealous alright. _Anna stopped her with a hand on her shoulder this time, and gently turned the archer so they were facing each other. "I doubt you have anything to worry about Arty. Despite all the jokes to the contrary, Richard's a good kid and he isn't dense. If not for what you had with Wally, I'd bet every last cred I have that he'd stick by your side through Hell and back."

"Thanks Anna. It's still a bit...soon to try to reconnect with anyone...but thanks." Artemis replied, looking at the ground for a moment until she felt Anna's hand leave her shoulder as Shepard passed by and reached for the cockpit door. It was only then that the alarm bells in their respective minds went off as Shepard jerked her hand back, her omni-tool flashing a warning. "It's hard locked?! What does that mean?!"

"It means it's booby trapped. Shit!" Anna immediately waved her tool over the lock and came back with the results that the door was rigged to electrify them if they so much as ran a fingernail over it. "Clever bitch, I'll give her that."

"Excuse me, is there a problem here? I suggest you get back to your seats-" The turian who had decided to investigate what was going on never got a chance to finish as Anna let her gaze fall on him. _Spirits, she does not look happy. I never thought my charming personality could put off a human so quickly._The C-Sec officer thought as his hand went to his side arm, only to find it was missing from its hostler. One look at the young woman standing beside the Alliance marine, who was now holding his pistol, let him know not to underestimate the two human females again. "I'm Garrus Vakarian, C-Sec officer. I suggest you hand that back _immediately_. I'm only trying to help."

"Sorry, but with the way our day is going, you'll have to forgive me for not taking you at your word scale face." Anna couldn't blame Artemis for being overly cautious and taking the officer's weapon, but it wasn't helping matters as far as she was concerned. They had enough of a problem on their hands without adding to it.

"We could use his help Artemis, give the officer back his sidearm. _Now_." It hadn't taken Anderson more than a few seconds to figure out something had gone horribly wrong. Having taken a look at the turian, David had a good feeling about the C-Sec officer as Artemis reluctantly handed back the alien's weapon. "Now, what is going on?" They didn't have to wait for an answer as their respective omni-tools came to life of their own accord, having been hacked again.

"Nice to see I have your attention Commander, Lt, let's not make a scene shall we? I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to my unconscious little horny friend up here. Tell the damn nosy turian to keep out of this, or I'll snap Mr. Grayson's neck like a twig. He's caused us enough trouble for one day."

"Is Dick alright?! Has she hurt him?!" The very clear worry and anger on M'gann's face was impossible to miss, but one look from Anna stopped her from tearing the shuttle door off of its hinges. They were over a barrel and they needed to figure out a way to even the odds. The four of them just glared at the hatch, along with one very irked C-sec officer. They were sitting ducks unless they could somehow get the door open without risking the entire shuttle in the process.

Suddenly, a familiar voice burst out of their respective omni-tools. "Sorry to disappoint you babe!" Dick shouted over the open channel as the rest of the occupants soon heard the sound of blows landing against flesh and a surprised yell as something hit the door from the other side. The lights flickered as someone hit the booby trap and was promptly fried upon contact. A loud thud was heard before the door was opened, revealing a mostly unharmed Richard Grayson dusting his hands off as he stood on top of Sarah's back. He ignored the wisps of smoke that were coming off of the woman's body. "Can someone explain this one to me?"

"You fell for the oldest trick in the book. That's what I figure at least. Is she still alive? How's the co-pilot?" David asked as Richard idly kicked the woman's side before hopping towards his friends, his kick eliciting a small groan from the woman behind him.

"That answer your question? She didn't kill the co-pilot at least, but the guy is probably going to have one hell of a headache when he wakes up." At the highly annoyed look on Officer Vakarian's face, Dick suddenly became a lot less sarcastic. "Yeah, she's alright I guess. Looks like she just knocked him out and rigged the door to disable anyone who touched it. I don't think she had time for anything more, which is lucky for us. Um...you do know how to fly this thing right?" Dick asked as it suddenly dawned on him that there was no one flying the shuttle.

"How hard could it be? I don't suppose you know how to fly this model Officer?" David asked in turn, earning him a round of stunned stares since they were down their pilot who happened to be a homicidal maniac. The turian just shuffled back and forth for a moment before shaking his head. With the co-pilot out cold, they were on their own. Anderson pointed to Dick and Artemis, then turned his gaze to M'gann and Vakarian. "You two, get him out of here and get yourselves strapped in. Megan, Officer Vakarian, get _her _out of here and restrained, the more uncomfortable the better." With a deep frown, David turned his attention to his daughter last. "Anna, you're co-piloting, god help us all."

As Dick and Artemis pulled the unconscious man from his seat and gently placed him in the passenger section, Anna plopped down in the now empty spot. "Thanks for the vote of confidence _dad_. If I remember correctly, you weren't exactly happy the last time I drove anything."

A stunned Garrus watched as M'gann didn't hesitate in finding a couple pieces of metal that weren't doing anything important, pulled them off the wall, and promptly bent them around Palmer with a few practiced thoughts. Finding a device similar to Anna's amp in the back of her head, M'gann wisely removed the device before the woman could possibly wake up. Sarah wasn't going anywhere, and with the amp out of the way, M'gann found that her mind was now an open book. The martian quickly discovered her real name was Haley Jefferson and, not very surprisingly, that she had been watching M'gann and her friends almost since the day they had first arrived. Unfortunately, it seemed someone had placed dozens of mental blocks in the woman's mind before she had started spying on them. Only a few species had that power or the technology as far as M'gann knew, and one of them was her own. The implications did not bode well in the martian's opinion. "Spirits, how did you do that?"

"Um...that is a bit of a long story." Megan felt her cheeks turn a shade of red that matched her hair as she met the alien's gaze. Her blush wasn't entirely from the fact she hadn't thought to hide her unique abilities either as she had to look away before her face grew any hotter.

"If we make it out of this, I'd be interested in hearing about it." Garrus replied, drawing a surprised little gasp from M'gann which the turian found kind of cute. "But in the meantime, let's focus on getting out of here first." The human appearing martian nodded as she tucked the amp in her pants pocket for now and hoped that the worst was over.

In the cockpit, Anderson had finally taken a moment to respond to his daughter. "Anna, shut up and get me a safe route to the nearest docking bay. I'll try not to crash us into one of the goddamn wards, or another ship for that matter." Anderson's eyes were already frantically taking in the massive amount of traffic in the area.

"Yes sir, Goliath sir." David raised an eyebrow at his adopted daughter at her use of his old callsign but didn't say anything since they were already making their approach to the docking bays. "This is Oceanic Flight 815; we have had an attempted takeover of the shuttle and need guidance and clearance to the nearest docking bay Citadel Tower, are you receiving? Our co-pilot is down and our pilot is a bit tied up at the moment."

Garrus stuck his head in between the two of them a moment later. "More like bolted to the wall, the way your interesting friend dealt with her. You five have some serious explaining to do when we-"

"Not now scale face!" Artemis shouted, silencing Garrus quite effectively. Even so, the young woman sighed and put a hand on his shoulder. "Just concentrate on following your own advice. If there's a chance, we'll see about filling you in." The turian only nodded before turning his gaze back to the front of the shuttle.

"Citadel Tower to Oceanic 815, we are receiving you. A fighter escort will guide you to docking bay 327; do not deviate from your current course." David and Anna just shared a look with the turian, as if they'd be that stupid to fly anywhere else with the potential risk of being blown out of the stars by the Citadel fleet, or the perimeter defenses for that matter. They didn't have a death wish. "Oceanic 815! You have an unknown vessel approaching your location, ETA to fighter cover one minute twenty-four seconds. Where did that cruiser come from?! It's launching fighters. Mobilize the fleets now!"

"Oh..._that's _not good..." Garrus succinctly summed up the situation, much to everyone's obvious annoyance.

Shepard glared at the turian officer, before turning back to the controls. "Thanks for that valuable tip! Permission to evade possible enemy contact Tower?!" Anna shouted into the comms, having not expected such a welcome her first trip out to the Citadel. This was the second time that someone had tried to capture them in so many days. Whoever these people were, they were obviously well equipped and had the funding to maintain an entire cruiser.

"Permission granted. The Destiny Ascension is moving in to engage but you'll have to hold out until she's in range. ETA, two minutes." That was far too long, but it would have to do as Shepard looked to her father, the turian, and the teens behind her. All of them silently agreed that they'd go down fighting if it came to that.

Dick looked out the starboard window and despite the ominous situation they were in, he was momentarily dumbstruck at the sight of the Citadel, the nebula behind it giving the massive station an almost awe inspiring image. The sight of a swarm of fighters, and the huge ship not far behind them, trying to kill or capture them was slightly less so. "We are so whelmed!" Dick shouted as he looked over his shoulder to his friends. He wasn't giving up, but the odds were against them all the same.

As Anderson did his best to pull a few mildly stomach wrenching maneuvers, and put even a few more kilometers of space between them and the quickly closing fighters, the lead pilot of their incoming escort got on the comms. "This is Shield squadron to Oceanic 815, turn to heading 238 mark 165, and put on as much speed as possible. Once you get clear of the perimeter, Citadel defenses should be able to cover your escape from there. Spirits be with you 815."

"Good luck to you Shield, and thank you." David replied, his tone solemn but full of gratitude for what they were doing in their defense as he shared a look with Vakarian. He had fought in the First Contact War, and he knew that turians were either the worse enemy one could ever have, or the greatest ally you could ask for. Luckily for humanity, they were now mostly the latter and not the former.

"Oceanic 815! Warning! We have detected a transport ship heading your way! Prepare for possible boarders! We'll see if we can cut the bastards in half for you before they can dock, but their escort is putting up a hell of a fight. Shield squadron out!" Anna just shook her head in frustration at the pilot's new warning. _Well this 'vacation' royally sucks so far. This damn bucket is completely unarmed, so I can't even blow anything up...yet again!_

Artemis and Dick had since pulled out their gear, arming up just in case they needed to fight any boarding attempts. The archer felt far more comfortable with her borrowed bow and quiver back on her back, and one look at Richard said the same for his assorted batarangs and gas pellets he kept on hand for emergencies like this. "You are joking right? A bow? Do you have any idea how outdated that thing is? Wait...is that a boomerang? We're going up against trained soldiers, with possibly the latest in defensive and offensive hardware. What makes you kids think those toys will do you any good?" As if to answer his question, Dick threw one of his 'toys' and Garrus found his shield shorted out before he took a kick to the chest a split second later. He didn't have a chance to get back up before his own gun was pointed at his face, the smirking young man on top of him before he handed the weapon back and he helped Garrus up. "Point taken."

"If you're done showing off, how about you get back on the line!" Artemis shouted, but Dick was already collecting his batarang while Garrus took up a flanking position on the right side of the door, Artemis and Dick taking the left. If all went well, they'd be able to catch whoever was coming in a deadly crossfire with M'gann acting as support, having taken a spot on the right as well.

Apparently before Shield Squadron could reach their target, there was a loud thump on the hull, close to the shuttle's main airlock. "This is where the fun begins...get to cover, and whatever you do, do not let them get to the cockpit!" Dick shouted as sparks started to fly off of the metal bulkhead in front of them as Artemis, M'gann, and himself did their best to find any place that they could that wasn't completely out in the open. As soon as the new 'door' was cut out of the main airlock, the first trooper that made the mistake of popping his head out got an arrow to the face. The fact it shattered the faceplate of the man's helmet didn't go unnoticed by the officer as he opened fire a moment later, taking down two more before his gun overheated.

"Fire in the hole!" Dick shouted as he threw a flash pellet into the hole in front of them, temporarily blinding the enemies that were trying to push through. Several batarangs followed behind and the sound of crackling electricity was heard as he created an electrical net of sorts between his thrown projectiles, instantly downing several more.

Seeing their shields had been disabled, just as his had been a minute earlier, Garrus managed to get off four head shots before he had to duck back behind the shuttle's chairs again. M'gann finished the rest off as a telekinetic pulse slammed into the remainder, sweeping them off of their feet with enough force that when they hit the wall behind them, the soldiers didn't get back up.

The shocked turian managed to get his drooping mandibles back in place before the young human next to him checked to see if he had been injured in the spectacular attack she had pulled off. Just like last time, there was no dark energy particles around her that Garrus had seen, which meant that there was more at work here than he had ever dealt with before. Even so, they still had more problems to worry about as another wave of enemy troops tried to charge in. "Clear!" Artemis shouted as she sent an explosive arrow into their midst. The resounding boom was enough to deafen anyone not wearing a helmet, but that was the least of the enemy troopers' concern as their numbers were thinned out considerably from that single shot.

"Are you insane?! You could have depressurized the entire shuttle!" Garrus shouted over towards Artemis, more shocked at the young woman's actions than anything at that moment, but anger was quickly taking a front seat in his mind at her stupidity and needless risk of their lives.

Dick just shrugged at the angry alien and pointed over his shoulder at the archer while tossing another EMP batarang into the line of enemies still able to fight. "She just does stuff like that, you get used to it...eventually. And I didn't see you have a problem with Megan's telekinetic attack. Her mind is far more dangerous than Artemis's arrows. If she went all out, there wouldn't be enough of this shuttle left to fill a coffee can."

"I am not that powerful Mr. Vakarian, but Dick is right. If I were to unleash all of my power, the damage could be quite substantial." Megan replied, looking a bit shamefaced since she had almost shown how powerful she was already when Sarah had started the mess they were in now.

Suffice to say, the giant explosion from seconds earlier had fully gotten Anderson's attention up front. "What the hell was that?! Did one of them try using a grenade...on a shuttle? These guys are crazy!"

"I'd guess that Artemis used one of her trick arrows!" Anna shouted back, just as surprised as David since it was pretty insane regardless of who had used explosives aboard a shuttle while outside of a planetary atmosphere, or a station for that matter. "Apparently we've got all the crazy on our side, and I say we're winning."

"If we don't get blown the hell up first, I'm going to have a little chat with Artemis about protecting civilians and what the term friendly fire means." David grumbled as he continued to do his best to avoid a mid air collision. The goal at least was in sight, which meant that they were almost home free.

An arrogant shout reached their ears a moment later. "Hey! It worked at least, and we're still breathing aren't we?! Not bad for my first fight on a glorified space bus." David still planned to have a long talk with Artemis about her use of excessive force, but he had to grudgingly admit that she had a point. It didn't mean he had to like it though.

As Garrus dropped the last two remaining attackers he immediately glared at the trigger happy, well bowstring happy, archer across from him. "Since you helped save every life on this 'space bus', I won't bother arresting you for that crazy stunt you just pulled Artemis. It also looked really cool seeing those thugs fly every which way, but that's beside the point." Vakarian glared at the young human when she grinned at his inadvertent humor. Whether he had meant her explosive trick arrow or M'gann's telekinetic pulse was up for debate, but either way Artemis still wore her grin since they had managed to repel the invaders.

Her badass veneer was ruined a split second later as she jumped at the sound of the shuttle PA system going off as Anna's voice filled the cabin. "This is your amuteur flight crew speaking, we'll be docking at the Citadel in a few minutes. You can relax folks, we made it." The shuttle's impromptu defenders were greeted with loud cheering and applause from the shell shocked passengers as the shuttle's 'flight crew' made for the closest docking bay.

"815! Incoming JAVELIN torpedoes! I repeat, two JAVELIN torpedoes are incoming! The cruiser has fired and they are locked on! We don't have any ships in range to take them out and our defense batteries are somehow being jammed!" Citadel Tower shouted over the comms, deflating everyone's hopes in an instant. There was no way they could outmaneuver the incoming missiles, not in a civilian shuttle.

"You can't Citadel Tower, we can." The leader of Shield Squadron said next, and both Anderson and Shepard had a horrible feeling they knew what the turian pilot had in mind.

"Tower to flight lead; Commander, you don't have the firepower!" Their fighters weren't equipped to handle JAVELIN torpedoes, not by a long shot. Even if they did somehow shoot the torpedoes down, the explosions would likely take the fighters with them.

"We've got the mass. Form up Shield Two, we _will__not _beletting innocent civilians die on our watch!" Turian honor and duty demanded that they put themselves in the line of fire. They would have had it no other way since the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few. That was the turian way.

"Shield flight, spirits be with you both." Anderson solemnly replied, knowing that his message had been heard as the squad leader and his wing-man slammed into the incoming torpedoes a moment later in a massive explosion that was quickly snuffed out by the cold vacuum of space.

"Present arms!**" **It might not have been the turian way, but a fallen soldier was a fallen soldier in Anderson's eyes as he and Anna slowly saluted the two pilots in a show of respect for their ultimate sacrifice. They held the silent salute for a few seconds before Anderson spoke once more. "Order arms!"The meaning wasn't lost on Garrus as he looked up towards the front of the ship, seeing the two marines slowly lowering their hands to their sides. He quietly nodded his approval of what two complete strangers had done for two of his own. The need to properly honor the dead, it seemed, knew no species.

A crying M'gann gently put her hand on the silent turian who bowed his head a moment later. "I don't...feel their presence anymore. Did they really...?" M'gann asked, but she already knew the answer as Dick slowly shook his head. They didn't even notice when they landed a few moments later, safe and sound, all of them lost in silent thought and in some cases, prayer, for what the two turian pilots had done for them.

"Your sacrifice will not be in vain. This is Matriarch Lidanya of the Destiny Ascension. Unidentified cruiser, find peace in the embrace of the goddess you scum! FIRE AT WILL! " It was a cold day in Hell when an asari got angry, especially a matriarch, but Anderson and Shepard weren't about to complain as they watched the action from the cockpit for a few moments before heading back to help the others assist the shaken passengers. The cruiser had already started to turn tail and run when the Destiny Ascension, the flagship of the Citadel fleet, was spotted, but they weren't able to escape the system completely unmarked as dozens of forward batteries unleashed all they had into the enemy craft.

A short while later, the boarding craft had to be torn off from the shuttle the old fashion way as arc welders were brought to bear. Artemis's trick arrow had damaged the outer section of the shuttle's airlock, but it only took a few minutes after they had been able to land safely and without incident. In the meantime, the emergency exit served as their way off until the crews were done removing the boarding vessel.

Artemis breathed a sigh of relief as they watched as the last group of passengers, a family of four, got off the ship before the six of them followed shortly after. It wasn't exactly shocking when they were greeted by a dozen armed C-sec officers, who did not look happy at all. Garrus surprised them however and held up a hand to get them to back off. "It's alright, the situation is under control. I believe we have these five...concerned citizens...to thank for assisting in preventing an attempted hijacking of Flight 815."

"Is that so Garrus? Huh...looks like you got your ass saved by three kids, one decent marine, a butter bar Lt. and two goddamn crazy turian pilots. Your debriefing should be interesting on this one." Garrus immediately saluted the man that pushed his way to the front of the dozen officers. "At ease Vakarian, I'm not that much higher than you on the food chain. Besides, I'm damn glad you and everyone on that shuttle got out of that mess in one piece so I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth." The man turned to look at the 'concerned citizens' who had saved his officer, not to mention an entire load of civvies. "Lieutenant Bailey, C-Sec, and I gotta say, your reputation precedes you Commander Anderson. Only a blind man wouldn't recognize one of the Alliance's best damn heroes. Damn fine work you and your friends did out there today."

"Since you're done spewing hot air, maybe you should shut your mouth and remember that those 'crazy turian pilots' saved dozens of lives you arrogant-" Anna had started to stomp forward but she didn't get to finish as M'gann 'accidentally' tripped her with a subtle mental pull on her feet.

Anderson put his arm out in front of Anna before she could fall over, or so much as utter one more word. He knew what she was going to say, but Anderson didn't need her to say anything because he felt the same way. The turian pilots deserved far more credit than the C-sec Lt. had given them, they wouldn't be standing here without their sacrifice. "Don't even start Anna... You were right the first time Lt. Bailey. Decent marine will do since I've never considered myself a hero. The real heroes were the boys in Shield Squadron."

"I suppose you're right Anderson, your hot tempered Lt. over there too..." Bailey replied, rubbing the back of his neck since he realized too late that his choice of words had been rather piss poor.

"You can 'suppose' all you want, we all know who the real heroes were out there." Of course Dick had to wait for that moment to speak up. "Great job by the way; is your motto 'To _Slowly _Protect and Serve'? If it wasn't for Officer Vakarian here, we wouldn't have gotten any help from you boys in uniform at all. His snappy one liners need some work, but we can help with that." Garrus had to rub the back of his head as he suppressed a chuckle at Dick's comment while Bailey didn't bother hiding his humor as he smirked and shook his head in amusement.

Even though the older human officer didn't miss the insult that had been thrown at him by a thirteen year old kid, this time Bailey knew he deserved it and laughed at the kid's gumption. "For being a half sized punk, you got a lot of courage kid, I'll give ya that much. Come on you lot, we should get the questioning over and done with so you can actually start enjoying your stay here." Bailey was suddenly distracted, and looked behind the small group as two C-sec officers, a human and turian, dragged the former pilot out of the nearby ship.

Haley was thrashing and bucking between the two officers that were dragging her away. All the while she was ranting like a lunatic as far as some of the assembled were concerned. "You people have no idea who you're dealing with! I wish I could be there when they break the three of you! And _Megan_? Even in human form, you're not easy to miss, you little green bitch! I'll be sure to keep him company when your boyfriend dies." Haley grinned wickedly at the stunned look on M'gann's face while Artemis was half tempted to put an arrow in her knee.

Instead, she settled for punching the woman in the jaw before pulling the woman close by the front of her shirt. "What do you know?! Where is he?!" Ollie would have been proud since Artemis was putting some of his lessons to good use, but the woman just started laughing a moment later. Then Haley spit blood at the young girl's face in an open act of defiance at Artemis's attempt to intimidate her. "Fair enough. Which knee is your favorite?!"

Before anyone could stop her, Artemis immediately went for her bow, but Anna grabbed her arm before she could do anything stupid. "Stop! She wants you to do this Artemis! If you hurt her you're no better than she is!" Anna wasn't the only one with a patented death glare, but her attempt at giving Shepard such a look fell flat as Artemis jerked her arm free and faced the woman.

"Go ahead, shoot me you little cunt. Make mommy and daddy proud!" When Garrus and Anna had to tackle Artemis to the ground to prevent her from lunging at Haley like a wild animal, the spy laughed even louder. "Goodbye sweetie, I'll be sure to keep a light on in Hell for you." Still laughing, the woman suddenly clamped her mouth shut as everyone nearby heard a muffled crunch.

"Open her goddamn mouth! Drake, Skarian tell me you searched the fucking suspect!" Bailey shouted as he ran up to the woman, firmly forcing open her mouth, and had to jerk back at the bile that had started to choke her up from whatever toxic pill Haley had bitten. "Shit! Cyanide, I'd bet my badge on it." It was already too late as the laughing woman started convulsing and foaming at the mouth. Within seconds she had slumped dead in the officers arms. "Dammit all to...she's gone and all we have is you lot to try to figure out what the Hell is going on."

"Good luck with that...we don't know a damn thing more about that bitch then you probably do." Artemis glared at the woman who had taken the coward's way out after hurting M'gann so badly. The young girl was doing her best to keep herself together, but Dick and Artemis knew that M'gann was bound to start crying at any second, and they couldn't blame her in the least. The worst part was they had no way of knowing if the dead woman being lowered to the deck had been lying about Connor or not.

"She knew way too much about us, and we haven't been here long enough to attract enemies. So how did she know about Connor and...Megan...when we never even told the two of you?!" Dick angrily pointed a finger at Anna and David as Artemis tried her best to calm M'gann down. "Wait...I hate to ask Megan...but were you able to find anything from her?"

Artemis wanted to protest at Dick's sudden interest in their emotionally hurt friend, but M'gann gently pulled away from her a moment later. She then pulled the 'amp' she had claimed from Haley on the shuttle and handed it over to Garrus who then tossed it over to Bailey. "Something about that amp is different from...a normal one. I removed it once we had her restrained, just in case it proved able to do something we could not protect against." It wasn't the whole truth, and the bent metal pieces she had used to restrain Haley would turn out to be their resident biotic's idea when they ask Anna about it later, but it wasn't a complete lie either. Even so, M'gann still felt a little uneasy about bending the truth even that much.

"_It's alright M'gann, the less they know, the better."_Anna 'said' as she turned to face Bailey and his entourage. "Look, we've had a long trip and these kids have been through a lot. Can we do this tomorrow by any chance?"

"Eh, I don't see a problem with that. Just don't leave the Citadel for a while. I am gonna need your address Commander, just in case I need to get a hold of you." Dick was surprised since most officers would have insisted on making potential suspects and such sit through an interrogation even after enduring what they had, but Bailey seemed willing to bend the rules a bit to give them time to collect their wits. He couldn't have been more grateful as he thought of Commissioner Gordon.

"Well, to be honest Lt, we don't have an address at the moment. I had planned on putting us up at a hotel for the night and going apartment hunting in the morning. There were a couple I had been looking at, so as soon as we settle, I'll pass the information along." David replied, and Bailey nodded his agreement since as far as he was concerned, Commander Anderson's word was golden.

"If you don't mind me saying so, it might be better if the five of you don't stay in the same place. Whoever hired this woman obviously has it out for these kids, and most hotel security is a joke on the Citadel." Bailey seemed to have an epiphany as he slapped Garrus on the shoulder. "How would you feel about having a few more roommates tonight Vakarian? Before you open your mouth, that's an order by the way."

"I was actually going to suggest the same thing...minus using _my _apartment as a potential bullseye..." Garrus hadn't been about to volunteer his home, but he had thought it a good idea to keep the obvious targets separated to some degree if nothing else before Bailey had opened his mouth. Still, despite a few hiccups with Artemis mostly, they seemed like a good group of teenagers. "I'd be honored to watch these three for you Commander, while you get your affairs in order." It was the proper turian thing to say, and oddly enough, Garrus realized that he truly didn't mind as much as he thought at first, once the idea had had time to settle in his head anyway.

Anderson thought over the offer for a moment before nodding his head at the turian. It was a good idea, but before he could say anything, the young archer beat him to the punch. "You're sticking us with scale face as our glorified babysitter? This sucks..." Artemis' comment, and Dick's irritated frown weren't exactly subtle signs of how much they hated that idea. M'gann had seemed to perk up a little as a small smile appeared on her face at the idea of spending more time around the C-sec officer.

"I can always have you sent back to prison." David said over his shoulder to the youths behind him, before he raised his right hand, and started counting off offenses with his fingers. "Destruction of property, putting innocent civilians at risk, assaulting a suspect? And let's not forget disturbing the peace and indecent exposure back in Washington."

"You left out insulting an officer of the law, multiple times, but I think they get the point." Garrus had to chuckle at the now utterly silent teenagers. "If you don't mind Commander, Lt., I'll take them off your hands until tomorrow."

"You had me at 'if' Officer Vakarian. We'll keep in touch if anything turns up until then." David replied, earning the turian equivalent of a grin from Garrus as Anna and Anderson, their luggage in tow, walked away from the docking bay.

Before they got far, Anna looked back to the three of them, before turning to Garrus. "Have fun you guys! I can tell Officer Vakarian over there is just a barrel full of laughs, try not to get into too much trouble. Oh who am I kidding, no injuring anyone or yourselves, that's probably the best you can hope for Officer. Piece of advice, sleep with one eye open at all times." Anna said over her shoulder, laughing at the glares Dick and Artemis were throwing her way as she and her father disappeared into the crowd.

"She was kidding right?" _How much trouble could three human teenagers really be?_The strange looks he received from Artemis and Dick made the turian wonder if his apartment would still exist by tomorrow morning as he reluctantly called an air cab. "O...kay. Let's just get the three of you to a hot meal and a warm bed. You look exhausted." Despite all of their bluster, Garrus didn't have to be a mind reader to see that they were ready to fall down at any moment.

Dick and Artemis just shrugged as they tossed their minimal luggage into the cab. Anderson and Shepard had, oddly enough, taken all of Dick's toys with them on top of their own luggage. "Thank you again for your kind hospitality Mr. Vakarian, it truly is appreciated, especially right now." The grumpy duo just shook their heads at the comparatively cheery M'gann.

"Um...sure, it's no problem, really. I have a friend who loves to order this thing called...what was it again...pizza with an'cho'vies? Humans eat that right?" At the grin on Dick's face that formed the moment Garrus mentioned pizza, Garrus had to smirk when he noticed how the youngest out of the three teenagers looked slightly puzzled a moment later.

"Did you say that you have a friend that likes anchovies on his pizza? Huh, weird tastes, but everyone's got their quirks I suppose." Dick shrugged it off, figuring whoever Garrus's friend was, he was probably another alien. They really didn't know anything about the universe at large so who was to say what was normal for them?

"My roommate is...a little...unique. Sorry, I forgot to mention I have a roommate, I'm sure you'll all get along. I hope..." Garrus had a feeling he was going to be having a sleepless night, just like the Alliance Lt had jokingly warned him about earlier.

"Ah don't worry about it scale face. If we can get along with you, I'm sure we can get along with your buddy." Artemis smirked as she stifled a yawn with her right hand over her mouth.

Garrus wasn't surprised to see that the quiet and slightly naive one of the three had already fallen asleep between her friends in the back seat. When her skin changed to a lovely shade of green not long after, he wasn't exactly shocked either. Dick and Artemis instantly bolted up in their seats, while Garrus only held a talon to his mouth and then softly whispered to them. "So, I was right...I saw how all five of you reacted when that hijacker said something about your friend being green. I didn't know that the spy had meant that literally, but now I see she had. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me, I promise."

"Thanks...Garrus. She's a very close friend, and she's been through a lot as it is." Artemis replied, breathing a sigh of relief as she and Dick relaxed back into their respective seats.

Despite how huge the Citadel was, the ride to Garrus's apartment wasn't long. "Well here we are, give me all your bags. I'll conveniently have my back turned and you'll have cleverly piled your stuff in my face so I 'don't notice' your friend when you wake her up. Sound good? I figure she can tell me later, if she wants to."

"I like how this guy thinks." Dick grinned as he nodded his approval of Garrus's idea. "Except for one small problem...she's a telepath. We use her ability a lot to keep in touch over long distances, so she'll figure it out eventually." It had been a good plan, but lying around M'gann was hard when you trusted her inside your head as they did.

"Okay...new plan...let's just get her in bed, as quietly as possible. That way she can get a good night's sleep, and we can deal with it in the morning. Here, I'll carry her for you." The two just looked at each other for a moment and then nodded to the towering alien as they carefully helped him get M'gaan out the the cab without waking her. Not long after, Artemis and Dick found themselves stuck in the elevator from hell next to their burdened babysitter.

"Is your apartment on floor infinity or something? This thing makes a hundred year old tortoise look fast in comparison." Dick grumbled as he looked out of the glass in front of him. The view was amazing if a little dizzying as they continued to climb higher and higher.

"A what?" Garrus asked, earning himself an exhausted sigh from the young man beside him since he didn't have it in him to explain what a tortoise was.

"Don't mind Dick, he just likes to run his mouth." Garrus just cocked an eye plate at that, because if anything, Artemis fit that description best, but he wisely kept his mandibles shut to avoid trouble on the cramped elevator. The glass wasn't unbreakable after all, and it was a very long way down.

A short while later, they had finally reached the door to Garrus' apartment, and he realized they had a slight problem. Namely, he had forgotten to hand his access key to one of them before he picked up Megan. "Um...do one of you think you could reach in my right pocket and-"

"You mean this?" Garrus frowned as a smirking Artemis produced said key and quickly figured out how to open the door with it. "You're welcome scale- Garrus."

"When did you...nevermind. Why do I get the feeling I'll have to keep my loose cred chits locked up around you?" Artemis rolled her eyes as Garrus smirked at her in return before leading the way inside his home. "Okay, looks like my friend is still at the C-Sec academy. Open that first door on your right would ya? There's a spare bedroom that way."

Dick silently dashed ahead of them and managed to open the door with as little noise as possible. Garrus quickly walked passed the obviously exhausted boy and gently laid M'gann down on the rather oversized bed, before finding a blanket to cover her with. She immediately curled up on her right side and seemed to relax as she got comfortable. Dick was the only one that saw the little tender 'smile' on Garrus's face before it disappeared when the turian noticed him staring and then softly walked out of the room.

Artemis seemed to need to check on M'gann before getting any rest herself. She carefully made sure the young martian's shoulders were covered as she wrapped the blanket a little tighter around her friend. "Tell anyone I tucked her in and they'll never find your body." Artemis said as she passed by Dick before finding the nearest empty couch and collapsing on it face first. She was out the moment her head touched the oversized piece of furniture.

Dick sighed and walked out of the spare room, ready to fall into one of the nice comfy looking chairs by the couch at that point, but was stopped by Garrus before he could. "You mean a great deal to each other, don't you?" The turian asked, leaning against a nearby wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "That kind of camaraderie isn't made overnight. The way you three supported each other and fought together on the shuttle demonstrated that in spades. I won't ask how you all met tonight, but I'd be interested in your story Mr. Grayson."

"You wouldn't believe half of it. Hell, I don't believe half of it sometimes, but since it seems we're gonna be stuck here for a while, it'd be nice to share some of it at least." Dick replied, a small smile on his face as he looked up at the alien. He liked Garrus a lot already, despite what he had said before, and hoped that whatever came their way later wouldn't break up the friendship they seemed to have made already.

"Take my roommate's bed for now, before you fall over; I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Garrus jerked his head to a nearby door on the other side of the living room.

"Yeah sure...thanks again Garrus. For everything." Dick quietly said before he walked into the room and crawled into the neatly made bed. At least he wouldn't have to worry about his friends tonight, not if the seven foot tall and cool alien had anything to say about it. The officer was a crack shot with that pistol of his and Dick slept easily knowing he was around to protect their hides. His razor sharp looking talons might have had something to do with it too.

**Two hours later...**

Garrus was finishing his report to Bailey when he heard his front door open. The fact it wasn't forced didn't immediately set the C-Sec officer at ease, but he didn't drop his hand to his sidearm either as he poked his head out of his bedroom door. "Oh, it's just you. How was your day at the Academy?"

"I do not know how you do it Garrus. I'm used to working with the law, but I never thought I'd be working within it." His roommate replied, exhausted from another long day. Garrus knew how hard it could be, especially as a raw cadet. Still, another couple of months and it would all pay off. "I believe I will wipe off some of this gel my first aid instructors had me working with all day. I will say that this medi-gel could have saved myself and my old friends a lot of trouble. Though, I would have liked to avoid the 'healing fight' one of the cadets started in the middle of our lesson."

Garrus laughed at that. "Every year, some idiot cadet gets that bright idea. Welcome to C-Sec buddy. It's now official since you survived your first 'healing fight'." The turian snickered a few more times at the stern look on his roommate's face. "Look on the bright side, all those old scars will have disappeared by now."

"I remember you saying that some 'chicks' happen to like scars, although most of them are probably krogan?" He replied, earning another snicker from Garrus as he tried and failed to keep his own smirk hidden.

"That I did; now, stop dripping medi-gel everywhere and try not to wake up any of our guests. One of them is in your room." Normally he would have asked who they had over, but Garrus could tell that his roommate was exhausted as he just walked away and headed towards his room. Garrus was about to go back into his room a moment later when he heard a sharp intake of breath. Running out into the hall, his hand already on his sidearm, the turian stopped as he saw the look on his friend's face.

"Robin?!" Dick jerked awake at the surprised shout, and was about to throw the hidden batarang under his pillow at whoever had woken him, until he realized who it was that was standing at the door. By then, Kaldur'ahm had regained his senses just in time to avoid a flying leap from his old friend. Dick ended up planting his face against the wall as the Atlantean simply sidestepped the overjoyed thirteen year old. He couldn't suppress his laughter at the look on Dick's face however. "It is good to see you again my old friend! By Neptune's beard, how did you get here?! Are you alright? I believe the wall won."

Helped to his feet by Kaldur'ahm, Dick grinned despite the fact his head was throbbing from hitting said wall. "I could ask you the same thing Kaldur. You look good by the way, kind of weird seeing you out of costume and in C-Sec getup though. Artemis and M'gann are here too. Wait, how long have you been here?" Dick only then realized that something was...different about the Atlantean in front of him, and it wasn't just the change of outfits either. He still carried his old Water Bearers, but he looked older than Dick remembered.

The older young hesitated in his answer, which only made Dick more nervous about what Kaldur was about to tell him. Dick knew black holes could affect time if used in the right manner, was it possible that he, Artemis, and M'gann had gotten lucky in where and _when _they had appeared in this new reality? "I have been living on this station for seven months and twelve days, Robin. I had...plenty of time to figure out that this time and place is not our own reality. My fervent hopes were that you and the others had somehow survived were dashed once I was able to access information pertaining to all of the team. Or rather, the lack of it. I feared I was alone."

"The three of us have only been here for less than a week. I'm sorry we weren't there for you Kaldur, but we found each other, that's all that matters right? And if we're alive, then that has to mean Connor, Wally, and Zatanna are as well." Dick replied cheerfully, earning himself a smile from the normally stern faced Kaldur'ahm.

"Um, excuse me but what are you two talking about?" Garrus asked, confusion easy to see even on his face which normally wasn't so easy to read given his physical differences from humanity...or Atlantean for that matter. "You know what, let me wake your friends up first and you can explain over dinner."

It turned out that Garrus didn't have to wake anyone as Artemis trudged to the door half asleep. "I must have been having this really weird dream... I swear I heard... KALDUR!" The young archer just blinked at her long lost friend and then surprised all three men by crushing Kaldur in a hug while tears streamed from her eyes.

"Is something wrong? I was just awoken by what sounded like Artemis shouting and-" The young martian just paused for a moment and then proceeded to pinch herself on the arm. "Ow!" M'gann was so dumbfounded at the sight before her eyes, that she didn't even notice the distinctly non-human color of her skin.

"You're not dreaming M'gann, I am truly here." Kaldur replied, just able to bite his tongue to stop himself from laughing at the martian's obvious disbelief.

"Hello Megan!" M'gann chided herself as she ran towards the Atlantean, with Artemis sidestepping in time to get out of the beaming girl's way. If not for his armor, Kaldur was sure he'd have had a couple of cracked ribs from his friend's powerful hug as he returned the favor, albeit in a far gentler fashion.

Garrus sighed in extreme confusion, and at having his plan to let the young alien girl tell him what she was in her own time burst into flames spectacularly. "Oh...wow...look at that, I like that shade of green on you Megan, M'gann, whatever. I'm going to order some food now, you guys just relax and talk. " The turian wasn't bothered by the whole scenario if he wanted to be honest because he was happy that they had been able to get back together. Whatever had happened to them, he was sure it'd make for interesting dinner conversation as he left the room. Garrus quickly stuck his head back in the room a second later though. "You guys can all eat the same food right?" When he received nods from all of them, he just shrugged. "Just checking to be sure. Two anchovy pizzas, coming right up."

Dick and Artemis managed to glare at Kaldur for his prefered meal before their giant smiles quickly returned. "What type of food is that?" A mildly confused M'gann said as she looked at the three of them.

"I'm afraid you'll find out soon enough M'gann." Dick sighed contentedly, unable to be annoyed by much now that they had found one of their friends again. At least the company would be a lot better than the food tonight.

_Vergil1989; Hello folks, Vergil here and here's a little something to consider. If Kaldur is alive and well, then where and when have the others gone? Keep reading and you might find out, but in the meantime, I did want to say that I'm not a big comic book reader at all like some people, so the only past I know for Oliver Queen is what I've gotten from Arrow. I have watched YJ and JL, and I have started JLU, but I liked JL a lot more so it's unlikely I'll finish Unlimited. I know we've said that this is AU anyway, but I felt like it was necessary to clear the air a bit before someone decided to raise a stink over it._

_Archer83; Well all I wanted to say was... surprise! Bet you didn't see that one coming...and as Vergil implied, we have a lot more surprises on the way! Until next time, same bat time, same bat channel._

_Vergil; Next time on Lost Youth...M'gann finds out she's pregnant...just kidding! Seriously though, we hope everyone has enjoyed the story so far and rest assured, there is still a lot to come!_


	6. Of Aliens And Apartments

**Chapter 6; Of Aliens and Apartments.**

**Garrus' Apartment, the Citadel**

**March 21st, 2178**

**18:47 GST**

It had taken some time, but Kaldur had managed to break away from his friends long enough to get cleaned up and dressed in far more comfortable clothes. It was just in time for the pizzas to show up when he walked out of his bedroom, but he noticed Garrus was standing outside with a strange look on his face. "Is something wrong Garrus?"

"You never told me that your friends were so easily excited. The moment the bell rang, they all but knocked the door off of its hinges to collect the pizzas." Garrus just shook his head in frustration. Trying to 'protect' Kaldur's friends was going to give him a heart attack if he couldn't even keep them from opening the door before he could walk five paces. _Spirits, grant me the patience to deal with Kaldur's long lost friends._

"They did have their odd habits. You get used to them quickly. And if you're concerned about their safety, trust me when I say that we have faced far worse than whoever has tried to take them already." In a way, Garrus had a feeling his friend was right, but he also knew that the dangers of the present were far different from what they were used to dealing with.

"Just...do me a favor and help keep them from getting into any trouble. They don't know how the modern world works, most likely. Keep them out of my dextro foodstuffs too because I'd rather not pay an emergency visit to Huerto Memorial to have someone's stomach pumped." Garrus was only half kidding about his food since he really didn't want to have to make an emergency visit to the hospital for that same reason. Turian and quarian food was very hazardous to humans in most cases.

"In that case, let me warn you that Richard will likely have 'accidentally' gotten into your food before the night is over." The young Atlantean shrugged when Garrus just cocked his head to the side. "He has a...unique...sense of humor."

"Hmm...I have an interesting sense of humor too...he better not try messing with me." Garrus seemed to think about the young prankster for a moment, before a smirk appeared on his face. "Come on, let's go eat with them before they destroy the kitchen." With a friendly tap on Kaldur's shoulder, he and the turian made their way to where the kids were surprisingly, being well behaved. _You think they could do a better job of at least pretending they aren't going to pull something._

Like Garrus, Kaldur smelled trouble brewing, but he hid his smirk as he sat down between M'gann and Artemis. Garrus wound up between Dick and M'gann, with Kaldur directly in front of him. "Nice of you three to wait for us, let me just get some of this pizza for myself..." Garrus leaned forward, then instantly chided himself for his 'stupidity'. "Oh right, I'll be right back. Need to get some food that won't give me hives or bouts of sudden death." He had timed that perfectly as he saw Dick stop from helping himself to a slice of pizza, his mouth hanging open wide enough to drive a bus through. Kaldur was having a hard time keeping a straight face as he caught on to what the turian was doing to his old friends.

"Are you being serious with us Mr. Vakarian? Would your food really have such an impact on us?" Megan asked, having since switched back to her human like appearance. She had caught onto the joke as well after having a quick 'conversation' with Kaldur. She too was currently having a hard time keeping a straight face because of it.

They hadn't been a covert ops team for nothing. When it mattered, they could easily dupe almost any opponent they came up against before laying the smackdown on them. Unfortunately for them, they had never had to deal with a turian C-Sec detective before.

"I'm being very serious, Megan right?" A nod from the young martian was all he needed to keep going. "You have to be very careful now, and make sure you never eat anything meant for dextro based species. The results of consuming something not compatible with your own race can be fatal. But, I'm sure you three are more than smart enough to avoid that mistake, right?"

The ever so predictable smirk from the former Robin showed just how quickly he had fallen for Garrus' ruse. He took a few bites of pizza and then suddenly stopped, a worried look on his face. "Oh crap...I don't feel so...CAN'T...BREATHE!" Falling backward and taking the chair with him, Artemis and M'gann jumped to their feet while Garrus all but leaped over the table.

"Dammit! Thanks for the demonstration kid! Get him on the table, now!" _You're not going to be laughing under those fake gasps very long kid..._ Garrus had to stop himself from smirking as he and Artemis got a very surprised Dick onto the table while Kaldur and M'gann managed to get everything out of the way before it was knocked off. "Hold him down Artemis, Kaldur! And you, keep breathing, this is only going to hurt...a lot...sorry kid." Holding up a talon to demonstrate what he had in mind, Dick's eyes immediately became wide as saucers for real. "I've got to do an emergency tracheostomy, but afterward, everything _should _be okay...probably."

"HOLD UP! I'm fine, I'm fine! See, breathing fine without you poking a hole in my throat! I was only joking!" Dick flinched as Garrus jabbed the talon at his neck, and stopped two inches short of touching him.

"Never do that again...otherwise..." Garrus curled up his talons and stared at them for a moment, before looking back at the young man pinned in front of him. "Someone might not actually know you're joking and react even faster than I did." Dick swallowed nervously at the image that conjured up in his head, and Garrus was glad that his point had been made as Artemis and M'gann let him off the table. They all had a newfound respect for the turian, needless to say.

Artemis frowned at a smiling Kaldur and M'gann, but her expression turned to pure rage when she looked at Dick. Before he knew what was going on, Richard was pinned once again, except he was up against Garrus's fridge this time, the blonde's face right up against his. "Don't you _ever _do anything like that again! Were you _trying_ to give me a damn heart attack?! I ought to break your nose again!"

Normally, Garrus would step in to stop a fight like this, but he figured the girl was doing an even better job of getting his point across. That, and he was kind of enjoying watching the smartass boy squirm a little under Artemis' wrath. _Wasn't there a human religious figure who was called Artemis? Goddess of the hunt or something? Heh, seems fitting for her now._

Kaldur had never seen Artemis so upset before, not over a stupid joke anyway, and it was a little surprising to him. _Have things changed more than I realized? What else has occurred since they have been present?_

M'gann gently touched Artemis' shoulder, hoping to calm her friend down. She was tempted for only a moment to try to tap into Artemis's mind and mentally force her to calm down, but M'gann pushed the idea out of her head as quickly as it formed. There was no way she'd betray one of her friends' trust like that. Thankfully, the mere presence of the martian so close was enough to do the job and silenced any need to debate it further with herself. The incredibly upset archer still had her prey pinned against Garrus' fridge, but she looked over to M'gann and slowly looked down at the floor as she let Dick go. "I had wondered but...I didn't think you cared so much Artemis. If I had...I'm sorry, for scaring you so badly. I...I'll just eat in the other room..."

"Get your butt back in that chair and start eating." The way Artemis had growled that sentence out, even Garrus found himself grabbing his discarded plate and quickly sitting back at the table along with everyone else. At least he got to see Grayson scramble to get back there first as he helped set the table again. "Now, we are going to have a _nice_ dinner and let Kaldur tell us what he's been up to during his stay here. Do I make myself understood?"

"Yes ma'am." Dick managed a weak smile as Kaldur and Garrus shook their respective heads at the whole affair playing out in front of them. To Garrus, it was like watching a rerun of Desperate Turian Females, minus the steamy affairs of course. M'gann had to bite her tongue at the image Garrus had thought up while Artemis turned her attention to their Atlantean friend.

The archer's face softened as she started talking, mostly to the Atlantean, although her eyes kept on flicking towards Dick as if making sure he was still behaving himself. He normally would have been tempted to stick his tongue out at her, but he was uncharastically quiet for once. "So...Kaldur, how did you meet Garrus?"

The turian stepped in before his young roommate could respond. There was no way he'd let him leave out the best parts of _that_ particular tale. "Spirits, of course you had to ask him that one first...would you believe that he literally dropped in on me during an investigation I was in the middle of? And I mean _literally_. Certainly got my attention when this sixteen year old kid appears out of nowhere and slams into me. I normally don't work white collar crime cases, but that day was different because all this happened in the Presidium. Oh right...you're all new to this part of the galaxy. That's the part of this station where the political leaders and embassy members reside, and some of the smarter criminals make their living by ripping them off."

"He was supposed to meet a contact of his to find an ambassador's missing credits. He had been swindled out of everything by a very corrupt but intelligent asari maiden, was she not?" At the nod from Garrus, Kaldur nodded back before turning his attention back to the group at large. "Before he made his meeting, I accidentally fell on him and we both ended up going into the nearby lake. Garrus was knocked unconscious, but I was not."

"Your friend over there saved my life the first time I ever saw him, but since he's so unbelievably humble, I think this is the first time he's told that story." Garrus had to grin at the three surprised looks from his dinner guests. Dick quickly picked up the slice of pizza that had fallen out of his mouth when he got another glare from Artemis. _Hmm...I wonder if he's bright enough to figure out just how much she likes him._

"Actually, this is the second time. I had to give a full report to a C-Sec officer while you were being looked at by the medics. They didn't at first believe me until they saw the security footage." Kaldur replied, earning himself an amused look from most of his friends. It wasn't hard to imagine why they had found something like that so outlandish since people normally didn't appear out of thin air.

Garrus shrugged as he got up to get another plate of food from the fridge. "Can't say that I blame them. _I _didn't believe it and I was right there when you dropped in. Of course, he left out the most embarrassing part, probably more to protect my pride than his. Go on. Tell them, or I _will._"

It wasn't often that his friends got to see Kaldur'ahm flustered. "Holy crap. He doesn't mean you...that you gave him CPR..." As Dick started to crack up, Artemis grabbed his free hand under the table, and twisted his pinky finger. "Err...I mean that was very good thinking on your part Kaldur. So...what was it like kissing a Predator? OW!" Dick jerked in his seat as Artemis did more than twist his pinky, she about broke his whole wrist as she twisted it farther than it was meant to go. "Ok, ok you made your point!"

"Hey! I'll have you know that I _rarely _skin humans alive or rip out their spines. That's only on turian holidays, or if I'm on vacation. I actually have paid leave coming up in a couple of weeks...I hear Earth's Central American region is nice, or maybe I'll stay right here." Kaldur could only shake his head in amusement as Dick wondered if he needed to disappear for those couple of weeks. Artemis could see the slight fear on Richard's face and had to bite her tongue, her earlier anger forgotten.

"Relax Richard, Kaldur had the same impression, he admitted it to me later after we had started to live together. He told me that you and some of his friends had been into old movies and even got me hooked on a few. Aliens with Sigourney Weaver happens to be a new personal favorite. What's that one line she says at the end? Always sends a shiver down my spine, seeing a tough woman like that facing down such a powerful opponent."

Garrus nearly jumped through the roof a moment later, when a certain martian decided to put on a show for him. "Get away from her you BITCH!" M'gann had taken that moment to shapeshift into a perfect copy of Ripley, earning belly deep laughter from Dick and Artemis. 'Ripley' only smirked before M'gann changed back, her face lit up with one of the brightest smiles they had seen on her in a long time. "I liked Newt best." Garrus instantly decided they they _would not_ be watching any of the later Alien movies with M'gann around. He'd probably feel like charging himself with something if that girl were to cry because of his taste in movies.

Kaldur had missed days like this, more than he had ever realized until now, as he was surrounded by some of his old friends again. "Seven months...seven months is a long time, not knowing if some of your closest friends are alive or dead. I never imagined that I'd see you three once more; I can not begin to describe how good it feels to simply share a meal with you again."

"What am I? Chopped varren?" When Kaldur looked in Garrus' direction, the look on the Atlantean's face told the senior officer that he felt embarrassed and a little ashamed for what he had said. But the turian just shook his head in amusement, putting Kaldur at ease. "Just kidding cadet, we _really _have to work on your sense of humor, but it's great to see you so happy Kaldur."

"You know what Kaldur needs after all this time without us...a group hug..." The almost horrified expression on Kaldur's face only encouraged Dick as he got up from the table and started slowly stalking Kaldur with his arms wide open. A smirking Artemis and cheery M'gann also got up, only increasing the worry on the young Atlantean's face. "Come on Kaldur...resistance is futile...give into the fluffy side of the Force."

"You three have lost your grip on reality." Kaldur's face lost its worried expression however as he looked to Garrus, who was now standing right beside him.

"Hey, no one forces my future junior partner to hug them...unless I say so...okay, go ahead." Before Kaldur could react to Garrus' surprise about his eventual posting / betrayal, Dick, Artemis, and M'gann had already closed ranks on him. He was in all honesty happy though for the chance to see his friends again, even if they were a little wackier than he remembered them being as they crushed him on all sides. Garrus only chuckled at the look on Kaldur's face. He had never seen pure joy and confusion on the boy's face at the same time before. _Good thing he didn't notice me taking a pic of this priceless moment. This baby is getting framed on the wall._

As they finally let go of Kaldur, a startled Dick jumped at the sound of a very familiar sinister laugh right behind him. "What do you think? I've been practicing that ever since I sat down and watched the first Predator movie. Pretty good huh?"

"Bone chillingly realistic...don't be offended if I lock my door tonight...or for the rest of the month." Dick replied, shivering since Garrus' subharmonic and normal voice put together had made his imitation quite accurate, almost a little too accurate for his tastes.

"Oh come on kid! It's just a movie! Want me to check under your bed and in your closet before you go to sleep tonight? After all, a non existent fictional character might be hiding in there..." The glare that Richard threw his way made Garrus laugh once again. When the turian walked away from the table, Dick's glare turned into a mischievous grin as he pulled his friends together. Revenge would be his yet.

**Later that night...**

A sudden horrible hiss echoed throughout his apartment, jerking Garrus quickly awake before he instantly sat straight up in his bed, and grabbed his sidearm from under his pillow. Something about that hiss sent his heart to racing, and his spine tingling. Poking his head out of his bedroom door, he didn't immediately see anything amiss until his taloned hand found a puddle of slime or something equally gross on the outside of his door. "Lights! Full illumination!" As the indirect lighting flickered and died, Garrus' hopes went with them as his shoulders slumped. Oh..._that's_ not good. Maybe I'm dreaming?" Pinching his arm didn't help as he winced and looked to the hand that had found the puddle of slime. "_Ok, it was just a movie, it was just a movie. Just in case this isn't a psychotic break, I need to get the others up if nothing else._ _Try explaining the xeno ooze on your hand away in the meantime."_

If there really was an actual xenomorph running around his apartment complex, the last thing he needed was to rush outside blindly. He'd need to take it slow, and keep his guard up. "_You know how well that worked for those on the Nostromo...and the colonists on LV 426, and the marines that came after them. You're just a C-Sec officer, what chance do you have?"_ A loud shout in his living room instantly set Garrus on edge. "_So much for taking it slow."_

"Arrrrgggghhhh! Garrus help me!" The turian didn't even hesitate to fling himself around the corner and dash towards the impossible abomination, which was currently holding Artemis by her throat. "Get this damn thing off me already!" Garrus flinched as the giant alien brought her within inches of its sharp teeth as the young archer went limp and fainted from terror. Tossing her aside, the xenomorph, which the turian now knew was a Queen as she stood to her full and very imposing height, wasn't able to stop himself from taking a step back.

Garrus didn't have time to be afraid, he had four other people to worry about. "Come on! You want a piece of me?!" Aiming his gun at the Queen's oversized head, Garrus pulled the trigger, and...nothing happened. All he heard was a series of clicks every time he pulled the trigger. "Huh?!" He blinked, surprised etched on his face until he saw the scorpion like tail rise up over the monster's right side. "Oh...crap."

As the Queen looked back at the unconscious girl behind her, Garrus took a chance and leapt with forward, his talons fully extended. "Get away from her!" He was stopped in mid air, yet nothing had touched him. Before he could figure out how in the Spirits' name he was floating several inches off the ground, he heard laughter and a very familiar voice behind him.

"Actually, it's 'Get away from her...you bitch!' remember? Hahahaha...oh you should have seen the look on your face! Please tell me you got that on film?!" Dick was doubled over with laughter as the stressed out turian just slumped with relief , finally realizing it was just a prank. He'd never underestimate's Dick's creativity again, that was a certainty.

"Every second of it." M'gann smiled widely as she helped Artemis get up off the floor, still in her xenomorph form, and tapped the omni tool on her left arm. "Thanks for letting me borrow your omni-tool, Kaldur."

"A smiling xenomorph, now that's just creepy. Want to take off the 'special effects' M'gann, so I can kill Dick and put you in traction?" Artemis said with a smirk as the martian quickly returned to her usual form. "I'm guessing it was Dick's idea for you to grab me." The young girl turned to Garrus, who was still trying to fully calm down. "She was only supposed to 'knock me out' with a swipe of her tail when I tried to 'warn' you."

"I'm guessing you'd be right Artemis. Um, can you lower me to the ground by any chance M'gann? I am only going to break Dick's arms, and maybe both of his legs." The turian flicked his gaze over to a laughing Artemis. "If you don't want me to turn your bow into kindling, you better drop and give me 100 push ups right now. That goes for you too Kaldur since you were the only one who knew where I lock up my sidearm before dinner. Don't think I'll be forgetting this anytime soon. As for you M'gann, you get a tough scolding, and a slap on the wrist." It was next to impossible to be angry with M'gann, but Dick was another story as he promptly made himself scarce the moment Garrus touched solid ground again. "Come out and take your medi-gel Dick. I'm not gonna hurt you, I'm just going to tie you up so I can get some sleep." Despite the very real scare Boy Wonder had pulled off on the normally fearless turian, Garrus wasn't able to suppress the grin on his face as he tried to find the elusive Dick Grayson.

Dick didn't bother to respond until he had found a relatively safe hiding place in one of Garrus' vents. "I had considered pulling the Shining instead, but all that talk about Aliens just made it impossible to pass up."

Garrus already had a very good idea of exactly where the boy was, thanks to his sharp hearing, as he looked up at the ceiling. "Come on Grayson, all work and no sleep makes me a very dull turian, and a very grumpy one too."

"Alright alright, I'll come out if you promise not to, you know, leave me in a wheelchair." Popping his head out of an overhead air vent, Dick didn't get a chance to jerk back as Garrus pulled him out by the front of his shirt and let him hang in mid air. "Crap! Why does this stuff always happen to me?!"

"Well look what we have here, never caught a duct rat before." The fact he sounded almost pleasantly amused wasn't doing anything good for the young man's nerves. "Richard, do you know the old turian proverb, 'revenge is a dish best served cold'?" With the turian's face right up against his, it was impossible for Dick to look anywhere else even if he wanted to.

"Um...it sounds vaguely familiar..." The young boy would have to be tortured into admitting he was a Star Trek fan. It was where he had heard that line originally, but that wasn't the most pressing thought in his head at that moment.

"Feel up to a little swim? I hear the lake on the Presidium is a baumy eleven degrees celsius, and it leads into the rest of the Citadel through a series of filtration systems. They'd never find the body if you sunk to the bottom. And if they did find anything, it'd only be a few skin fragments and shredded clothes."

Dick was praying that the irked turian was only bluffing about tossing him in the lake. "Depends, will Kaldur be there to jump in after me? Helps if the guy saving you has gills. Oh shit... You weren't supposed to know that were you? ...Sorry Kaldur." Garrus just stared at the boy in confusion as Dick flashed a guilty look at the officer's young protege, before the turian shook his head and carefully set the teen down.

"Gills? What are you talking about? And what is it with you people? You're a damn sight braver than most murderers and thieves I have the 'joy' of interrogating on a regular basis." That was the understatement of the year, as Garrus was surprised as Kaldur, Artemis, M'gann, and Dick who quickly surrounded him a moment later.

"I have not been...entirely truthful with you my friend." Pulling the top of his shirt down to his shoulders, the turian was only slightly surprised by the set of gills Kaldur had around his neck.

"I take it no one else knows so far? You tell anyone, and you're going to wake up dead one morning." Garrus just nodded his head to Artemis, instead of grinning at the incredibly strong loyalty the three teenagers clearly had towards his future partner. "_I happen to find out one little secret and she's already defending him...I like this girl."_

How she didn't blush, Artemis never knew before Garrus thankfully interrupted any further thoughts with his next comment. "You ever threaten me like that again...and I'll be very proud of you. Don't worry about me opening my big mouth guys. Besides, that certainly explains a few things, but what else haven't you been telling me Kaldur?" Kaldur breathed a little easier now that that was out of the way, although he hadn't expected Dick to blab his mouth like that. "You know what? I don't really care. You're still the guy that pulled me out of the lake when we first met. Everything else is history as far as I'm concerned. The only thing I am pissed about is if you had any medical needs I should have known about this whole time."

"I had that taken care of, but I am thankful I no longer have to hide the truth from you." Given the recent attack by the mysterious cruiser, Kaldur was glad he had chosen to keep his secrets as long as he had. It was a little too ironic that his friends showed up right as the Citadel was attacked and that there was a hijacking on their very shuttle. He only wished he had been there to help defend them at the time. While he still kept his Water Bearers close, tucked away in a hidden compartment in his armor, Kaldur rarely used them anymore for fear of drawing too much attention with his Atlantean techno sorcery based weapons. By doing so, he had avoided any trouble, unlike his friends if what he had heard at the Academy was even partially true.

Garrus wasn't letting his future partner off the hook that easily. "Nice try avoiding a direct answer. So who helped you, since it definitely wasn't me? It must have been someone...got it! No wonder you like Dr. Michel so much, I'll have to thank her, discretely. I remember you disappeared one morning and a bank robbery was mysteriously broken up before the first units could even get there. Now I'm starting to wonder if you had something to do with it."

"Innocent people were in the line of fire...so yes, I had a hand in getting them out alive, as carefully as possible, but I ended up taking a shot to the chest on my way out." Considering he had been part of an elite covert ops team, Kaldur had found it easy to disrupt the robbers' attempts until the very end. When he had indeed had the tiny hiccup of having gotten shot while carrying a scared child out of the building. He'd have had a lot more questions to answer if not for the fact security had been hacked by the bank robbers before the heist had even began. The only thing amiss that the authorities couldn't make sense of was the massive amount of water all over the floor, courtesy of Aqualad's interference.

"You WHAT?! Okay...okay...I promised myself I wouldn't get too upset...go on." Garrus was internally sighing with relief that the young boy had managed to survive something as stupid as taking on five armed bank robbers by himself. _Spirits, I give you my thanks for sparing this foolish boy that day._

"As you already surmised, I was assisted by Dr. Michel, who happened to be near the bank at the time. I will be forever grateful for the fact she opened her free clinic when she did because without her, I would not be here." Kaldur subconsciously started rubbing the area on his chest where the wound had been. He had been shot before, but even the superior physical makeup all Atlanteans like him possessed wasn't enough to prepare him for a mass accelerated round that struck him.

"Wait a second...if you got shot in the chest, why did she see your gills Kaldur? Oh wow...he's actually blushing, this should be good." Dick crossed his arms, and smirked at the obviously embarrassed Atlantean.

"She...ripped my shirt off to get a better look at the wound, and was about as surprised as I was unhappy because of what she had discovered. Then she just stared at me for a moment, before tending to my wound, and told me I would be alright. She's the only other person that knows that I am not human, and I trust her to keep it that way, as I trust you Garrus." Rubbing the back of his neck, Kaldur still couldn't shake the embarrassment that was clearly etched on his face, but no one doubted the Atlantean's sincerity. It made Garrus feel overjoyed to know that he had earned Kaldur's trust.

Artemis had to bite her lip to keep from showing exactly how hilarious she thought that story was. The fact it was Kaldur telling it only made it that much more amusing since he was the last person that Artemis would ever imagine something like that happening to. "She sounds really...aggressive. I like her already Kaldur, you should introduce us some time." That didn't mean she liked the idea of some strange woman pawing all over her friend though.

"Why do I detect that you want to 'rip Dr. Michel a new asshole' if you say you like her, Artemis?" A frowning M'gann said a split second later, as Artemis just buried her head in her hands. "Oh...I was not supposed to share that? I'm sorry."

"In case you didn't notice already, Artemis here is just a wee bit overprotective of her friends." Dick told Garrus as the turian just laughed and lightly slapped the girl on the back.

"Oh, I must have completely missed that somehow. Relax kid, people can have much worse qualities than that, believe me." Garrus just laughed even harder at the death glare Artemis threw his way. "Alright alright, you can tell me more in the morning. But..." All humor was gone from his voice as he looked to Kaldur before letting gaze sweep over the other kids in front of him. "I do want to know the whole story."

Kaldur solemnly nodded to his older, and very tired, roommate as Garrus started to head back to his room. "You have my word, you will have all the answers you wish and more my friend." The C-Sec officer just waved him off with a grumble and fell into his bed less than a minute later. Everyone else followed suit shortly afterward, leaving the apartment quiet once again.

The only difference was that Artemis and Dick somehow wound up sharing the same bed that night, it turned out the couch wasn't exactly comfortable, especially if you slept on it on your face. At least that was what Artemis told herself as she watched Dick peacefully sleep. He didn't need to know that she had gently held him during the most recent horrible nightmare he had that night. Only after Artemis was sure Dick was truly asleep did she allow herself to doze off a few minutes later.

**Later that morning.**

"So, you and your friends, some of which I haven't met yet, were part of an elite covert ops group working alongside a bigger group called the Justice League. Huh, and you have had experience with aliens before and who knows what else while working to keep things from falling apart. No wonder you work so well together." An intrigued Garrus said as he sat with the others at the breakfast table.

The door chime went off a moment later and the turian let his hand rest on his sidearm while walking over to answer the door. A look from M'gann though made Garrus relax as he opened the door after taking his hand off of his pistol. Anna and David were on the other side, just as the martian had detected. "Why do I get the feeling M'gann told you we were here?" Anna asked, earning a smirk from Garrus as he stood aside and let the two humans inside his home.

"Because she did Lt., otherwise you'd have had a pistol aimed at your chest when I opened that door." The older human next to her just gave him a knowing nod before walking into the apartment.

"I hope our young friends weren't too much of a bother for you Officer Vakarian? Thank you again for keeping an eye on them for us." Anderson was mildly astonished to find the man's apartment still in one piece as he and Anna walked towards the three teens, who were sitting around the kitchen table. There was one young man they didn't recognize sitting at the table with them, dressed in cadet armor from the C-Sec Academy. Whatever concern they had was put at ease as they observed the camaraderie that was clearly present between them. "Another friend of yours?"

"Kaldur'ahm of Atlantis, Commander David Anderson and Lt. Anna Shepard. My friends have told me a great deal about you two." Kaldur said as he stood and saluted Anderson, earning a mildly surprised look and a sharp salute in return from the Alliance officer. "I cannot thank you enough for helping them as you have. It is a debt which I will always remember, and repay if I can."

"It'd be best if you didn't try to argue Anna, David. Atlantean honor is just like turian honor from what I've been able to figure out." Dick replied to the slightly stunned looks on the two officers' faces. "Yeah, he usually has that effect on people. He's a big imposing guy, and yet he's a big ol softie underneath that stern face of his." As if to prove his friend's point, Kaldur gently lifted Anna's hand and kissed the back of it.

It was unexpected, to say the least, and Anna's cheeks actually turned crimson as she gently pulled her hand free a moment later. "Um...hello. And I can see that, although he looks more stoic than stern to me... Just to ask, but you meant Atlanta right?" When the neckline of Kaldur's armor folded downward, revealing his gills on either side of his neck, Anna knew that he had meant exactly what he had said. "Okay...that was unexpected, but on the other hand I know an actual martian and that parallel realities exist, so I guess the mythical city of Atlantis shouldn't be a far stretch. You got the Ark of the Covenant laying around here too?" Kaldur took an immediate liking to Anna Shepard after her own immediate acceptance of his unique status.

"Sorry Shep, no such luck." Artemis chimed in, getting an amused look from Anna before she starting questioning the woman. "So, did you find that apartment you were hoping for yet? Garrus's place is nice but it's a little cramped with all of us here." Garrus motioned as if she had shot an arrow through his heart. "Not that I'm complaining scale- Garrus."

"Naw, you're right kid, and I wouldn't mind being able to sleep at night without worrying if a big nasty xenomorph was going to pop out of my closet or from under my bed." David and Anna raised an eyebrow in curiosity at that, wondering what had happened last night.

"Naw, I figure Freddy Krueger would be better suited for that. Lucky for you, M'gann hates that guy." Dick replied, drawing attention to their favorite martian who could only blush as she somehow found her voice a moment later.

"I had nightmares about him after watching the first movie...those terrible claws." The martian shuddered at the thought of the sound said claws made against metal.

"I know the feeling M'gann. I couldn't get past the first one either, although it probably didn't help I was only eight years old at the time that I saw it." Anna said next as she gently put a hand on M'gann's shoulder, while subtly grabbing a butter knife off the table. "But I got over it, after all, it was only a silly movie character. One, two, Freddy's coming for you...sorry." Anna said as she looked at M'gann again, having noticed that her eyes had started to get bigger from the 'song' she had been singing.

Dick flinched as Anna looked at him. Something in her voice had caught his attention. "Hey...I forgot I had...this thing and I need to be there..." Garrus was already standing behind him and didn't let him get up as his taloned hands fell on his shoulders. "Oh crap."

"I had a little chat with Lt Shepard before she and the Commander were able to come over this morning. Turns out, she is a...what do you humans call it? A 'sci-fi buff'? Anyway...why don't you demonstrate that scene you told me you liked so much Lt.?" The evil smirk on Anna's face told everyone that she was more than happy to demonstrate what Garrus was referring to.

"Dick, it's always nice to meet someone who understands the masterpiece that is Aliens. If it's any consolation to you, this isn't the first time I've done this. I only missed once, and even then they stitched the guy's finger right back on in ten minutes." Garrus had already pulled Dick's right hand and set it on the table by time Anna had finished talking.

Dick's face shot up as he pleaded with the grinning turian. "Would it help if I said I was completely, utterly, sincerely sorry for pulling that prank on you last night Garrus?"

Garrus seemed to think it over for a moment, hope quickly returning to Dick's face. "Hmm...it might. Just kidding, not a chance in Hell. Enjoy the show kid."

"Hey! Anna, Officer Vakarian, what the hell are you to trying to pull here?!" Dick gave a sigh of relief as David stepped over and pulled the butter knife out of Shepard's hand. "Here, if you're gonna do this trick, use a proper blade at least. Amateurs." Anderson pulled a short combat knife out of an ankle sheath and slammed it on the table. What everyone except Dick didn't know was that Anderson had placed a dull replica onto the table, the real knife having been quietly slipped back into its ankle sheath. "There...now this will be a bit more whelming."

If he wasn't so terrified of losing a finger, Richard would have shot daggers at Anderson for stealing his line. "Um...guys...little help here might be nice." When no one came to his rescue, Dick knew he was in trouble as Anna placed the tip of the knife between his index and thumb. "Oh crap...oh crap oh crap oh crap!"

"Oh stop whimpering, here! If she screws up we can share a good hospital story." Garrus grumbled as his put his large hand over the boy's. Garrus had every intention of pulling his hand away the moment Anna started the famous knife trick, but Dick didn't need to know that.

"Trust me. Just hold still." Just as she was about to start sticking the dull knife between Dick's fingers as quickly as possible, Garrus stopped her.

"Wait...what was I thinking? Can't risk my trigger finger. You're on your own kid. Hey, look on the bright side, Dr. Michel is really nice, I bet she'll give you a piece of candy or something after well...you know." The way the boy was trembling right now was almost ruining Garrus' fun. Almost.

"If I make it out of this...I am never pulling a trick like that on any of you again." Anna stopped just as she was about to start, yet again, when they heard Dick's promise. Even if it was made under duress, it still made her grin wider yet as she pulled the knife out of the table before turning her gaze towards Artemis.

"Hold on, did someone get that recorded?" Artemis gave a thumbs up to Anna as she tossed the dull knife onto the table, right in front of Dick's still shaking hand. "Operation 'Clip Bird Boy's Wings' is officially complete." When Dick fainted and started to fall back away from the table, no one could blame him as Garrus gently lowered him to the floor. "Hmm, so much for being fearless."

Garrus smirked at Anderson, who was mildly concerned for the boy while still managing to have a grin on his face. "That might've been a little extreme Commander, I'm sure a butter knife would have been more than enough. On second thought, waking up with a xenomorph Queen in my living room was a little extreme too." Garrus replied, getting some laughter from everyone around him that was still conscious. Even Kaldur had to chuckle a little at the scene that had unfolded before him.

"I do not mean to cut this eventful morning short, but I will be late for class if I do not leave soon. Lt. Shepard, Commander Anderson, it was an honor to meet you both." Kaldur quickly gathered his nearby gear as he prepared to leave for the day.

Shepard just gave the boy a friendly wave on his way out. "Just call me Anna. And besides, any friend of theirs is a friend of mine. Even if they are a major pain in the ass sometimes."

"I have equally felt your annoyance in the past, but there are no others with which I would gladly trust my life, as well as you Garrus." M'gann was the first to blush followed quickly by Artemis at their friend's open praise of how much he valued and trusted them. Luckily for Dick, he was still unconscious, so he avoided a similar fate.

"Hmm...at least I'm on the list, I'll take what I can get." The turian just chuckled at the boy's mildly guilty look as he headed for the door. Garrus knew that Chellick, a friend of the boy from the Academy, would already be waiting for Kaldur once he got outside. "Hey! No more 'healing fights', especially if you want to keep a couple scars for the ladies. Even if they _are_ krogan!" Once again, everyone that was still conscious couldn't help but laugh at least a little, especially after Kaldur picked up the pace to get out of Garrus's apartment and outside before he thought of something even more embarrassing to say.

"I didn't know Kaldur could be embarrased so many times in less than twenty-four hours. Huh, thanks Garrus." Dick said as he 'woke up', and shook his head in embarrassment at how badly they had gotten him. Then he back flipped to his feet, having been awake for all of the conversation. "But seriously guys, if this is how you get back at people, I'm out. No more pranks, I swear."

"Oh don't 'give up' so easily, now I know you're lying. I figured you were faking your little fainting spell too, from what Lt Shepard has told me about you. I knew a mild scare like that wouldn't bother you that much. It seems I was right."

"Mild? That was mild?" After giving it a little thought, Richard's lips started to uplift into a smile. "Yeah well, deception and theatricality are my specialty, haven't you heard? You might be into cruel and unusual pranks, but I had a feeling you wouldn't actually slice a finger off." Dick responded, his customary grin clear as day on his face once again. "So, what's on the agenda for today Anna?"

"How about a game? First one that finds the new apartment gets to pick their room...and the other two get to unpack everything. Terrifying enough for you?" Anna just waggled her eyebrows at the grinning boy.

"I believe that was a challenge everyone." M'gann said next before Dick and Artemis smirked. "We accept."

"Well what are you three waiting for?! Go!" Anderson 'accidentally' thought of the address of their new home as he winked at M'gann. The martian had to bite her tongue to stop from laughing as she 'randomly' dialed up the address on her borrowed omni-tool. Garrus had given the elated martian one of the devices earlier that morning.

Dick and Artemis didn't even make it out of the kitchen as they stopped in their tracks, having realized they had no idea where their destination was. They were quickly called back by an exuberant M'gann, a 'curious' pair of Alliance marines watching closely. "I found it! Umm...I looked up new apartment sales and found one purchased by a David Edward Anderson!" It turned out that the martian _could_ tell a white lie once in awhile, as she brought up the information for Dick and Artemis' benefit.

"Edward? Really?" Artemis said, snickering as she pushed Dick aside to get a better look at M'gann's screen.

"I'll have you know, that was my great grandfather's name." David grumbled before realizing that the two weren't listening anymore because they had started out the door. "Hey! No assisting each other! M'gann, you're messing up my whole plan here by being your incredibly helpful self. Hmm...should have seen that one coming."

Anna waited until the two human kids had left the apartment before saying anything further. "Good thing I did. On the other hand, we forgot to mention that cheating is entirely allowed. That elevator your friends are in by now will be going even slower than usual for the next five minutes." Anna didn't bother to hide the smirk on her face as she waved her omni-tool around, emphasizing who had been responsible for that little trick.

There was a slight clatter as a small object hit the floor next to M'gann's boot. "Oops...I seem to have dropped this credit chit, some resourceful person could use it to pay for a taxi ride at the quick transit station not fifty meters from here..." David couldn't hold back a grin as the young girl smiled at him, quickly scooped up the chit and jogged out of the room.

Shepard's evil plan was already in motion as the two kids had already fallen into her little trap. "Why do I get the feeling we just got played?" Artemis asked right before the elevator slowed to a crawl.

"Because we did get played. Anna probably hacked the controls. Oh well, it gives us time to talk Arty." Dick brought up his omni-tool, and started working on making the elevator able to compete with a turtle's pace.

"Don't-" He only used her nickname when he was about to be serious for once, and because Wally had been the same, it was too close for her as Richard looked up from his omni-tool. The serious look on his face silenced any further attempt to stop this conversation.

"Arty...I'm not stupid. I've known since we got here that you always seem close at hand whenever I'm having bad dreams. They've gotten worse...and the only reason I haven't woken up screaming from a couple of them is because of you being there." A sudden beep from the device had Dick grinning from ear to ear. "Ha! Not as smart as you thought you were Anna! Oh crap."

A text message popped up on his omni-tool as the elevator stalled completely. 'Uh-uh-uh. I thought of that one. Try again Bird Brain.'

"Well that's certainly whelming. Anna left behind a failsafe program that was designed to stop the elevator completely if I tried to hack through. I have a feeling she has remote access."

"Dick..." He flinched at the tone in Artemis' voice as he looked up. The fact she had curled up on the other side of the elevator with her knees drawn up to her chest showed Dick just how vulnerable she truly was. "Finding out Wally died...being stuck in this reality far from anything we know or understand... I like to appear tough and capable, but it's just the mask I wear to hide that scared little girl who watched her sister and father walk out on her."

Richard had taken a moment to sit down next to Artemis before gently pushing her head up by her chin so she was looking at him instead of the floor. She didn't resist as their eyes met, and Artemis wasn't able to look away. "You could have fooled me. If I believed that, do you honestly think I'd let you risk your life as much as you do for us? You are a not that little girl anymore Artemis. If Ollie could see you now, he'd be proud. You deserve that bow, you deserve to be where you are now, with us, with your new and crazy family, not the ones that left you behind." It terrified Artemis as she found herself leaning towards the equally nervous boy in front of her.

"Anna, I told you, I don't feel comfortable spying on any of them. Damn, that poor girl has gone through...oh hell. The mic is on Anna, too late now...um...for the record I had nothing to do with this." They could almost picture the old marine glaring at his daughter right now as Anderson's voice filled the quiet elevator. Their imaginations wouldn't have been doing the actual glare justice however.

"YOU!" Dick and Artemis shouted together, making David jerk away from Shepard's arm as they sat at Garrus' kitchen table. "You two are so toast!" Before Richard could continue his rant, he looked up and saw Artemis smiling even as tears fell from her eyes.

"Is it too late to say I didn't hear anything? ... Okay, maybe I heard a little. Besides, I already knew that Artemis snuck in to...snuggle? Is that the right word here?" If turian honor hadn't demanded that he say something, Garrus would have stayed as quiet as the proverbial church mouse as he instead questioned the two humans across from him.

Artemis jerked Dick's arm as she pulled the omni-tool closer. "We DID NOT snuggle! I just helped out a friend, end of story." Dick had to look away so she didn't see the smirk that had taken over his face, glad that she seemed to be back to normal again. "He's not even that cute anyway, and way too young for me." Richard wasn't sure if he should have been offended or glad that she had said that last bit, the smirk on his face having disappeared either way as he looked back.

"In all seriousness Artemis, I wouldn't have thought that you were as weak as you seemed to believe yourself to be. On the shuttle you certainly surprised me with your daring and reckless abandon, but after getting to know you, I could tell that your friends meant the world to you. They are your strength, and your conscience. Together, you can't be beat, I'd stake my honor on that." When Dick's omni-tool went quiet again, the elevator started up once more, confirming his suspicion that Anna had remote access to it.

"Since M'gann's already at the apartment, why don't I speed things up for you two love birds. It sounds like we have a minor emergency on our hands. Apparently she's really freaked out by all the fireplaces. Did someone forget to tell us something?" The worry and annoyance in Anna's voice wasn't easy to miss, at all.

"Um...well...martians have an innate weakness to fire and excessive heat..." How could he and Artemis been so stupid?! Martians did have an inherited weakness to fire, but M'gann had an intense phobia to it. That was another story they hadn't gotten around to sharing with their new friends just yet.

"That's just great...thanks for telling me _after_ I bought that model. Anna and I are on our way. Speed up the damn elevator to maximum, they can probably get there first." No one had to tell the two embarrassed youths who that last part was for.

As the lift dropped at a breakneck pace, and then gently slowed, the two worried teenagers ran out of it as soon as they could squeeze through the opening doors. "We're almost there, I'm sure M'gann was just a little surprised...we aren't talking actual fire right?"

"Of course not; open flames are illegal on the Citadel for more reasons than I can count. The apartments use holo projections. It looks, smells, and feels like the real thing though." Garrus said as he and the two officers got out of an air car near the residential section the apartment was situated in.

Dick and Artemis just glanced at each other for a second, then doubled their speed. In less than a minute, they had reached the apartment and saw exactly what they were afraid of seeing. M'gann was sitting outside in the hallway with her arms wrapped around her while she noticeably shook. "I'm so sorry M'gann, this is my fault. I should have told David and Anna to make sure there wasn't anything like this lying around." Dick said as he gently put a hand on her shaking shoulder.

Before Artemis could even open her mouth to say just how massively stupid she felt, Anderson, Shepard, and Garrus came running up to them. "M'gann, it's alright. You're okay, the fire isn't real. You two, explain why she's freaking out, now." Anna said without looking over her shoulder to confirm that Dick and Artemis were still there. A worried Anderson knelt in front of the terrified girl as Anna glared at the two people who could have prevented the entire affair.

Before either of them could begin to explain, David was pulled into a desperate attempt at a hug from M'gann, but when her arms wrapped around his neck, Anderson immediately tried to pull away as her mind touched his by mistake. In her desperation, M'gann had instinctively fallen back on old martian habits and had 'reached out' to the closest mind there was, which had been his. Images, feelings, and more passed before his eyes, giving him a far better understanding of just how much she and her friends had gone through than any number of conversations could have ever done. Vandal Savage and his Light organization, Kobra and his cultists, Bane, and every lunatic and freak of nature they had ever gone up against were only part of the whole. The fights were interlaced with happier times between the friends she had made along the way, and Anderson 'saw' it all.

When he 'felt' more than saw the horrible guilt in her eyes and tears starting to stream down her cheeks, David just pressed her tighter against him. "It's okay, I know you didn't mean to. Show me the rest child." A silent nod from M'gann was the only warning he got as their minds joined again, but David was ready for it as he was introduced to the insidious Starro Tech that Vandal and his minions had created as a means to control the Justice League. He couldn't help cringing when he saw and 'felt' what M'gann had to do to put her own uncle down long enough so that they could use their own version of Starro Tech to undo what Vandal had done. The heat and flames she had forced into J'onn Jonzz's mind had felt very real, his screams had proven that in Skyllian Five spades to Anderson before the connection faded away. "Anna...call the realtor, we are removing the 'fireplaces' today. I don't care how much it costs." No one spoke a word in protest since even Garrus knew just how much M'gann meant to everyone around him, and he had known her the least thus far. She just had that effect on people that had even half a heart.

The racking sobs against the old warrior's chest were far more worrying than any amount of credits he had to spend. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...I shouldn't have...please don't hate me!" David just rubbed her back and squeezed her against his chest a little tighter, letting her work it out for herself that there was no way in this reality or any other that he could ever hate her.

"What in God's name would make you believe I could ever hate you Megan? White martian, green martian, I don't care. Yes you showed me that as well while you were in my brain. For being a race that proclaim to look past physical appearances, they seem to be hypocritical wouldn't you say?" David asked, surprising M'gann by both his words and the fact that he didn't care what she truly was. "Let's get you some food, we can come back later after the apartment is fixed."

It took a considerable amount of will, but M'gann managed to change back into her human disguise as they started towards the door. Wiping her eyes with her shirt sleeve, she managed to find her voice once again. "Thank you...I don't know if I can ever say that enough." Anna didn't know if she was going to smile or cry when she saw her father do something he hadn't in years. The seasoned marine openly blushed at the young martian's gratitude. Anna had her answer a moment later when she did both.

"Damn it Megan, now you got me all teary eyed. Go on, I'll take care of this, but if you want to 'share' with someone else, my head's always open." M'gann couldn't help but wipe at her nose and eyes again as she and Anna embraced. "Whatever you showed him, know that if it didn't bother my father, it sure as hell won't bother me. Now go on, get out of here before this turns into a chick flick moment. I don't do mushy very well."

**A Tayseri Ward Food Court**

**Two Hours Later...**

"Never knew they had decent dextro-based ramen on the Citadel; looks like you really can find anything in the Wards" Garrus made a loud slurping noise as he dug into his food, mainly because of the smile it put on M'gann's face.

Dick looked ready to throw up as he looked at Garrus's bowl from across the table. "Looks like purple worms to me. How's the pizza Megan? Dumb question." The exuberant look on the young girl's face made Dick grin as she took a hefty bite out of her pepperoni covered pizza. "I think that's a little overkill on the pepperoni though."

A beaming M'gann was finally able to make herself put down the slice for a moment. "I can't help it, it's so good! Better than the anchovies!" Artemis, Garrus, David, and Richard shared a quiet chuckle which only grew a moment later as she turned her attention to the turian. "Did I hear that earlier message right Garrus? Why did Lt. Bailey ask 'who died' when you requested a personal leave day?"

Garrus's oddly colored beverage ended up coming out his nose when he tried to stop himself from laughing before he managed to answer her. "Well...I don't exactly miss much work...actually, I have never missed a work day to tell the truth. I just told him I was still guarding you three and that you wanted to head out and see the sights, and in a way that's the truth. I just failed to mention that Commander Anderson was with us." It was a loophole, but one that Garrus still felt very uncomfortable in using even if he had meant no harm by his lie of omission.

"And thank you for paying for this five hundred credit pizza Officer Vakarian. I'm only kidding, about the price I mean. I am grateful for the pizza though." Megan quickly said, her cheeks turning an adorable shade of red as Garrus nearly spit out his Tupari sports drink again. The small group didn't get to poke fun at the mortified turian for long however.

"What are you talking about?! I never stole that! I know what's going on here. You saw my suit and automatically I _must_ be a thief!" Not ten feet away from the restaurant was a turian C-Sec officer, an asari merchant, and what was unmistakably a very angry 'looking' quarian. "Hey! Let me go you spikey bosh'tet!" The C-sec officer had already produced a pair of restraints and had wrenched one of the woman's arms behind her back.

Dick had already left his seat and had all but charged the three before Megan stopped him by all but floating ahead of him. Thankfully nobody noticed as their eyes were on the argument involving the quarian. She would probably get into trouble later, but Megan didn't care as she pushed between the two. "Is this how you would protect and serve officer, by not even giving this woman a chance to defend herself before assuming she's guilty simply because of what she is?!"

"Stay out of this human, it doesn't concern you." The turian roughly pushed Megan back, causing the rest of the group to bolt up from their seats and, by some miracle, calmly walk over instead of simply tackling the overzealous officer to the deck.

"It concerns me Officer Tariaos. Put those restraints away before I use them on you. Or would you rather I talk with the Executor? I believe you'd been reprimanded more than once for excessive force." Tariaos' cold hard glare didn't intimidate Garrus or those behind him in the least as Megan got back to her feet. Anderson put a hand on her shoulder before she could lash out angrily at the turian that had pushed her, although whether it was to stop himself from doing the same thing was up for debate.

Anderson decided to give the man one more chance as a quietly growled at him. "I suggest you listen to your fellow officer. Let the girl go. Now." The less than kind C-sec officer seemed to admit defeat when he saw the small mob assembling around the very determined looking marine.

He had originally meant to leave a nasty virus on the turian's omni-tool because he had pushed Megan around, but then Dick had hacked his way through the officer's firewall. Using his own sophisticated computer system that Shepard had given him, Richard had found something worth mentioning to Garrus. "You might want to check his backlog of messages." He started looking through said messages right after he had sent a copy over to Garrus. "Hey, who's this group I keep seeing over and over Garrus?"

The turian's eyebrows raised as he read off the most recent of them. "You mean the Blue Suns, kid? You keep mercs on your mailing list _officer_? How odd. And what's this? You certainly get around because this particular asari is part of Eclipse." The name attached to the message he was referring to was one listed on C-Sec's most wanted record.

"I had a feeling we were dealing with a dirty cop because a decent one wouldn't push a girl half his height, human or not. They pay you to keep your nose out of their business here in the Citadel while they pass their shipments through the warehouse district. Oh oops, I just sent the information to Bailey. Sorry, my finger slipped." He knew that he was pushing Tarioas to a dangerous, potentially murderous rage, but Dick was ready as the turian in question tried to charge the young boy down.

Before he got three steps however, the turian dropped to the ground after being electrically shocked. "Bosh'tet! I ought to fry you until you're smoking out of every orifice!" As she looked to the group, the quarian seemed to calm down as she held out her hand to Garrus. "Thank you, I'm glad to know not every officer is corrupt." As the asari merchant tried to quietly sneak off, Garrus glared at her.

"I take it you're not going to try pressing charges, but I think she might." The turian nodded towards the quarian, who had already aimed her omni-tool at the departing alien. She wouldn't have gotten far anyway as the asari turned around only to find an arrow aimed at her neck, Artemis having figured out by Garrus's look that she wasn't to leave. "By the way, I have another message here, detailing the slave trading of... let me see... 'Highly skilled quarian engineers and software programmers'. Your friend Tarioas would frame them, and he'd send them to you, instead of putting them in prison. I guess falling on hard times, you got desperate and made a deal with Tarioas, so that you could swoop in and 'save' them. I'd applaud your cleverness, except I'm about two seconds away from shooting you both."

"I'd have no problem doing it Garrus." Artemis pulled back on her bow string a little more just to emphasize her point, but she relaxed her bow arm and put her weapon away. The asari visibly relaxed until she looked into the human's eyes again, where she saw nothing but cold hard rage. "However, going to jail over this bitch wouldn't be worth it." Instead she slammed a fist into the asari's stomach, doubling her over before Artemis followed up with a headbutt to the alien's face. The asari was out cold before she hit the deck. "A mild headache on the other hand, I can take."

"Remind me not to get on your bad side Artemis." Anderson said as he nodded approvingly at the young archer's actions. "Not that I'm saying you can head butt anyone you want, aim an arrow at their face, or threaten them for that matter, but nice work child."

"Did you really want to snap that turian's spine for pushing me David? That sounded really messy." When Anderson had no immediate answer, Megan covered her mouth and giggled, still having had a few doubts about what he truly felt about her until now. "You have some rather colorful thoughts, but thank you. I..."

"Don't be so embarrassed _Dave_, getting angry because Megan got pushed around isn't half as bad as...that thing...you overheard in the elevator." The beaming smile on M'gann's face instantly made Artemis wonder why she even tried to hide anything from the martian in the first place. A similar thought was passing through Richard's mind, but he found himself more confused by it than upset, like Artemis clearly was.

"Humans are so silly sometimes; openly showing that you care about loved ones isn't odd or shameful." The quarian's eyes flicked between the two humans who were trying too hard not to look at each other. "So you like the short one huh? He's cute, I don't blame you." In all their excitement, they had forgotten about the alien woman in their midst. "Haha, no need to glare. Thank you for helping me though. I'll never forget it. If you ever find yourselves near the Migrant Fleet, I'll have hopefully returned there by then so I can tell my people about your kindness. Kara'Zorah Vas Rayya, and you are?" After getting their names, Kara nodded to each of them before looking at M'gann for a moment, apparently lost in thought before she seemed to return to the present. "Sorry, you just reminded me of my own young one. She's about your age. I've taken up enough of your time and I have supplies to purchase for the Fleet before I can go back. Keelah se'lai."

"'By the homeworld I hope to see one day.'" Kara'Zorah stopped in her tracks before she looked to Megan, surprise no doubt stamped on her face behind the visored helmet she wore. "I...learned it from a quarian I befriended recently." Everyone behind her knew that Megan had most likely heard the meaning from Kara's mind, but they weren't about to tell her that. Besides, the older quarian seemed happy that someone outside of her species actually understood her kind, even if only a little. Unbeknownst to Kara, Megan was getting a great deal more of an understanding the longer the quarian stuck around. Curiosity was what motivated Megan's gentle perusal of quarian life.

"It's always nice to meet open minded people, Megan. I'll be sure to tell my daughter about you and your friends." Then with a small wave, the woman turned and walked away from the group as a smile slowly spread across M'gann's face.

_Closing Notes; Vergil1989; Before anyone asks for confirmation, yes, the apartment used will be the same one, more or less, from the Citadel DLC. It'll slowly evolve into something more given the changed story and all thanks to our crossover, but it'll still be used in a similar manner probably, we'll see. On that note, the area around the apartment we will also likely visit later, but for now, it's just the apartment itself and wherever we end up going from here. D_

_Archer83; It seems Richard and Artemis have developed feelings for each other, surely that won't cause a problem in the future... We hoped you once again enjoyed this slightly delayed chapter, corny movie references and all. _

_Vergil; The actual story someone asked for is coming soon, but we do have a little more development to get through first. There are several events on the path to 2183...Akuze for one, Elysium is another. We don't have to explain what happened during those two historical events, but we will be adding our own unique twists to them. :D_

_Archer83; We will eventually get to the later awesome characters and locations that are a given in Mass Effect, but we think you'll like what we have in mind between here and there._

_Vergil; Next time on Lost Youth. Will the rest of the team ever be found, and if so, will they be alive? How will the time dilation from the uncontrolled portal have affected them if they have made it this far? Will Artemis and Dick become an item before this is over? All this and more will be revealed in the next 'episode' of Lost Youth._

_Archer83; I think you meant 'episodes' plural. Don't worry folks, we'll get to everything in time :D_

_Vergil; This is just our first 'Season' lol. Next season, provided we make it that far, will be after the five year jump to Mass Effect 1's story. A whole new realm of possibilities will open up from there._


	7. A Cry In The Dark

**Chapter 7; A Cry In The Dark**

**Silversun Strip District, Anderson's Apartment. Citadel Station.**

**March 26th, 2178**

**08:30 GST.**

"Um...where did you unpack the explosive arrow tips Anna?" Anna had to stop and look at Artemis, hoping she was joking. The look on the archer's face told the marine that she was deadly serious. "It's a trick arrow; what did you expect, a giant boxing glove?"

"I knew I should have made the three of you unpack your own crap. To be honest, I was hoping that I had misheard you when you said that you had made military grade plastic explosive arrow heads the other day. Did you try the gym? There's still a ton of shit in there." Gym was a bit of a misnomer. There wasn't technically any gym equipment in the backroom on the first floor, but the previous tenants had used the space as such before they had moved out a year before Anderson had gotten his hands on the place.

"Huh...what the hell is this thing?" Anderson had finally gotten around to unpacking some of his own personal belongings, and had accidentally found the small nondescript box Artemis had been looking for. "Well, what have we here? Looks like a dart set."

Their neighborly turian, who had demanded to help them move into the apartment in his spare time, took a closer look at the 'dart set'. "Oh...I know that game. Humans and turians have a similar interest in eye-hand coordination improvement exercises." Garrus made to casually toss one of the small sharply tipped objects at a nearby box.

"Stop! Just put it down. Slowly. Don't squeeze it or throw it Garrus because you will NOT like what happens." Artemis took great care in taking it out of the turian's hands before breathing a sigh of relief. "Congratulations scale face, you just avoided becoming a smoldering blue stain on the floor, what floor there would have been left anyway."

Garrus managed to look indignant, even while his heart was beating like a jackhammer from the near death experience he had just avoided. "I'm a sniper, not an...arrow firing person. It's not exactly safe to leave all your deadly little toys laying around, young lady."

If the look on her face could have killed him, Garrus was sure that her almost murderous glare would have vaporized him on the spot. "That's 'archer', scale face. And I didn't leave my 'toys' laying around purposely. Haven't you noticed there's still a ton of stuff that hasn't been unpacked yet? I'm surprised this hasn't happened sooner." The girl turned away and suddenly stopped as she looked back at Garrus with a smirk on her lips. "But you're right, someone older should keep an eye on this, here catch." Garrus' and David's eyes widened as Artemis casually tossed the arrow head back to Garrus, who fumbled with it for a moment like it was a hot potato. "Oh right, forgot to mention that the safety pin is still in all of them. The only way to activate one of these is to slam it into a wall point first, or fire it from a bow."

"If you don't mind, I'm just going to die from a heart attack now." Anderson said to an equally 'pale' faced Garrus as Artemis moved on to collect the rest of her 'toys'.

"Knock yourself out, I know my heart rate isn't going to be normal for a month." The turian just had to shake his head at the three clearly insane children the human marine had taken in.

"I know what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna shove one of those arrow tips so far up her ass she'll be blowing smoke for a month." David just shook his head at Anna as she stomped off to find the less than humorous, in her book anyway, teenager.

"Artemis has no doubt pulled the 'explosive arrow head' trick from the look on your face." Kaldur stated rather than asked as he passed Anna on his way to talk to David, a heavy box of pictures and medals tucked under his left arm. "I believe these are yours Commander Anderson. I did not feel right looking through them or trying to find places for them."

"Son, you call me 'Commander' one more time when I'm off duty, and I'll be forced to kick your ass. For the last time, just call me Anderson, or David if you like." He couldn't stay annoyed at Kaldur'ahm though, especially after what M'gann had 'shown' him about the young man not so long ago. She wasn't the only one he had a far better understanding of. Considering that Kaldur's father had been part of the Light organization in his home reality, the Atlantean was surprisingly well adjusted. He wasn't even going to begin getting into Dick's past anytime soon, that would take far more finesse than he possessed. Artemis on the other hand, that was one kid he might be able to help without outside assistance. And if all else failed, military service had helped Anna, maybe it'd have a positive effect on Artemis as well?

"I must apologize." Kaldur interrupted Anderson's thoughts as he set the box down before the older man. "I am used to addressing people formally, especially those of a higher rank than I. King Orin, who I had sworn loyalty to after standing with him against and defeating Ocean Master, I treated with similar respect. After a while it becomes habit...David."

"I can understand that and even relate, but you aren't in Atlantis anymore Kaldur. Relax, blow off some steam and just be a normal kid for a while. You only live once, so enjoy your youth while you still have it." Anderson had since stood to his feet and had put a hand on Kaldur's shoulder, and the Atlantean offered a small smile at the man's words since they were good ones to live by.

"I will try to...relax as you say...David. And you are right, we indeed only live once. Though, it seems that I, and my friends have truly been given a second chance. I still worry for the world we have left behind at times, even as I take in the wonders around me." Being led out into the living room, David indicated one of the small couches that were situated about as he and Kaldur sat down together.

"If half of what you told me about the people of your original universe is true, then you have nothing to worry about son. I know it must be hard on all of you, but just remember that your world is in good hands." Anderson made it a point to remind himself to have Anna talk with Kaldur one of these days. She could far more easily understand the type of loss the young Atlantean had gone through, and despite her wiseass veneer, she was a good listener. It would serve her well wherever she went from here, of that David had no doubt.

A loud angry shout interrupted the man's thoughts a few seconds later. "Hey, hey be careful! Smoke bomb, SMOKE BOMB! Oh crap."

Anderson didn't even bother getting upset as a cloud of gray smoke soon rolled through the apartment's first floor. "_And they say war is Hell."_

"Richard and his 'toys' it seems are not agreeing with each other." Kaldur said with some amusement on his face, glad that someone had found the fan switch as the smoke was sucked out of the first floor a through the air vents a moment later.

"Did this happen a lot at Mount Justice?" Anna asked as she walked by before Kaldur nodded once again because oddly enough, it had. "Just checking."

"Moving days were particularly hectic, especially for those that favored gadgets like Richard. There were...incidents. I once had to-"

"Naw, no way, stop talking Kaldur if you want a peaceful night's sleep. ...Screw it, you're going to tell them anyway, aren't you? Stupid Atlantean honor code." Dick shoulders just slumped as he practically ran out of the room before Kaldur could start talking.

Anna and David just watched with amused looks as Artemis intercepted him, and pinned an arm behind his back. "Since all my new clothes smell like crap now thanks to your smoke pellet, why don't you stick around awhile, Dick?" The boy made one last attempt to flee, which ended the moment the young archer twisted his arm a little bit more. "Go on Kaldur, you've got a captive audience."

"Oh...this is gonna be good..." Anna's eyes damn near twinkled at the less than comfortable look on Richard's face as Artemis plunked him down on a chair across from them.

"Um...should I continue with my tale Comma- David?" Rubbing the back of his neck, Kaldur'ahm wasn't sure what he should do given the awkward situation he was stuck in. It was amusing yet embarrassing at the same time given what Artemis was doing to Richard at that moment.

"In a word, yes. In two words, hell yes." Even Anderson's curiosity had been peeked by this point. "But give us the short version, I feel like we're torturing your friend here as it is."

"Help! C-Sec, I want to report-" Dick wasn't able to utter another word with Artemis' hand over his mouth, and the other around his neck. If he was truly trying to escape, Artemis knew that he could likely do it. Even so, she was smirking as she held him in place.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that. Care to speak up? No? Okay then, get on with it already kid! You have us in suspense here." Dick could only glare daggers at Garrus as the turian leaned against a nearby wall.

Kaldur just shook his head at the antics around him, and much to Dick's horror, started recalling one of his not too proud moments. "As I was saying...moving always caused a myriad of problems. During one in particular, the Justice League had to...rescue us, for lack of a better word. A device of Robin's...Richard's went off by accident, not unlike today. The consequences were a bit more problematic because this particular device was loaded with a quick hardening foam, strong enough to stop Super Boy, let alone the rest of us. I believe we played something called 'truth or dare' while we waited...for six hours. It was mostly truth since most dares are impossible when one is encased in hardened foam." Dick didn't like the small grin that appeared on Kaldur's face a moment later at all. "Apparently, Richard was afraid of-"

At that point Dick didn't care if he had to break his arm to get free of Artemis and stop Kaldur from spilling that particularly personal bit of information. Anna and David were sorely disappointed by Dick's interruption as he twisted free after attempting to slam his head back into the archer's forehead. She was far from untrained in CQC however, and let him go before he could hurt her. She immediately countered as they twisted apart before closing ranks again in a flurry of kicks and punches.

As they continued to grapple, giant smirks clear to see on their faces despite how ferociously they attacked each other, neither of them could so much as move a muscle a moment later. The unmistakable blue glow of dark energy surrounded them both. "You know what, if it bothers you that damn much..." Anna walked up to the two teens trapped in Stasis and stopped mere inches from Richard. "I _really _gotta know. Sorry kid. Kaldur, enlighten me please."

"Richard suffers from...I believe the proper word is arachnophobia?" The mirth had left Kaldur's voice, replaced with a not so small amount of guilt.

Anna had to blink a couple of times in surprise as Kaldur's words sunk in. "You were Batman's protege, who practically lived in a giant underground cave, underneath an old mansion, and you're afraid of spiders?" The older woman couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. "_Hell, even I don't particularly like spiders, not that I'm terrified of them or anything. There are far worse things to be afraid of..._ "As soon as my little trick wears off, we are going to have a talk about not breaking shit in your new home. Hmm...maybe I'll just toss you in the hot tub."

David chuckled at his daughter's joke; at least he hoped she was joking. Sometimes it was hard to tell with her. "Might be easier to just let them use the gym as a sparing area Anna. You know they'll just practice someplace else. Huh...how long do your Stasis fields usually last Anna? This quiet is actually rather nice." Anderson turned his gaze at the extremely frustrated, and still immobilized, youths. "I don't blame you two for wanting to keep your skills sharp. That said, there will be hell to pay if you practice without Anna or myself around to referee." The duo just nodded as the blue glow around them finally faded away.

"I might have a suggestion that'll work for everyone here, although the entry fee was pretty steep last time I checked. There's a holographic combat arena not too far from here called the Armax Arsenal Arena. Looks like these two want to test their reach and flexibility, I say why not?" Garrus' timely interruption had saved David and some of the others a headache, but his suggestion wasn't exactly what the old marine had had in mind.

"It might be fun to see you guys get creamed ." Shepard grinned at the annoyed teen before her face took on a serious look a moment later. "I'm guessing this combat arena is the type you wouldn't want to go in unprepared. Live rounds, a real chance at being blown apart?"

Garrus shrugged at Anna's question. "They've never had a fatality that I've ever heard of, but severed limbs...that has been known to happen, yes."

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're a real pain in the ass Vakarian? There's no way in hell I'd let them take a risk like that." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, David knew that he had spoken without thinking, his fatherly instincts overruling what he already knew. That was the fact that the 'kids' under his care had already done far more than children ever had the right to do in a fair world. He didn't need to look over the memories M'gann had shared with him to also know that since he had said they couldn't do it, they'd just find a way to do it anyway. "Damn...Anna, get them half way decent gear; they're most likely going to need it in the future anyway." Anderson pointed a finger at the loud mouthed turian in his living room. "And you...they get so much as a broken rib and I'll be taking it out on your plated ass."

"We might be impulsive but we aren't stupid. Still, thanks David, for at least letting us try. We'll take every precaution we can, but like anything else, the skills we've got will have to see us through right? Can't let them get rusty by sitting around." Dick promised and David could only grumble as he left the living room.

**Later that day...**

"OUCH!" A loud yelp of pain sent Shepard running towards the changing areas with a half armored Artemis stumbling a few feet behind her. Anna barely stopped herself from kicking in the door to the men's section as she paused to knock rapidly on the door. "Oh crap...um...I'm just a little whelmed in here guys, nothing to worry about."

"You hurt yourself, didn't you? Open the door before we open it for you." Artemis growled next to a mildly worried Shepard as the door opened almost instantly. "What happened?"

Dick managed to give them both a death glare while blushing profusely. "I swear to god, if you tell anyone else... My armor chafed me in a...tender spot."

"You haven't felt 'chafed' until you've been stuck in one of those for a couple of weeks. Believe me, it is not fun." Artemis and Dick both blushed about the same time when what Anna had said sunk into their brains. "Moving on. You two did pretty well out there. We came out ahead, which is surprising since you two haven't gone up against security mechs before. That YMIR at the end didn't have a chance."

"Between your biotics and our cool gadgets, what did you expect?" Artemis smirked, glad to be out of her own armor as she stretched out the kinks in her arms. "That was more challenging than I thought it'd be though. You didn't tell us that we'd be facing _giant _mechs."

"You cheated is what you did!" An angry krogan shouted as he pushed his way through the crowd and into the changing rooms, an imposing looking shotgun strapped over his shoulder. "What kind of trickery was that?! Boomerangs that exploded?! Pointy sticks that shorted out shields?! I demand a rematch with actual weapons, not these children toys my kind would snap in half rather than touch if their lives depended on it!" Shepard immediately stepped in front of Dick and Artemis, starting to glow dark blue when the krogan before them pulled his shotgun off of his back and leveled it at the three of them.

"There you are Charr!" The krogan was stopped cold by the gentle voice of an asari as she walked towards him. They had seen their fair share on their way into the arena, but none of them had taken more than a passing interest until now. Charr looked embarrassed as he lowered his weapon and rubbed the back of his neck. "Honey, I told you not to be upset with them! I thought those gadgets they used were really interesting."

"Yes Ereba...I just got a little carried away is all." Having put his weapon back, Charr looked towards the asari beside him and Shepard would have sworn that he blushed, if krogan were capable of the action anyway.

"A little?! You pointed a shotgun at us!" Dick shouted, beating Anna to the punch although she had to agree with her young friend. It wasn't exactly nice to wave a deadly weapon around, but on the other hand she was glad that Ereba had calmed Charr down before things really got out of hand.

"If it makes you feel better, I took the ammo block out...wasn't planning on hurting anyone." Shepard's jaw dropped when the krogan started staring at the floor and shuffling his feet. _Is a fully grown krogan really being controlled like a little school boy by an asari? Hmm...she is hot...it wouldn't surprise me too much if that was the case here._

"I'm sorry if he scared you; Charr, what do we say when we scare people?" Artemis had to bite her tongue until she tasted blood in her mouth at the extremely ashamed and embarrassed look that crossed Charr's face at the tone Ereba had used on him. He was seriously whipped, Artemis would have bet every credit they had just won on that fact being true.

"Eh...sorry kids, and...glowy lady." Dick was having a very hard time keeping a straight face, let alone keeping himself upright at what was happening in front of his eyes. _Dude, it's like watching Black Canary lecture one of the newbies back at the Mountain. Totally embarrassing yet oh so hilarious when it's not me._

Ereba just nodded her head and smiled at him. It was times like this that she remembered why she had fallen for Charr in the first place. He had far more layers than your average krogan. The fact he had started to learn how to read poetry was just another plus in his favor. Maybe he would even write her her own poem some day? The asari nodded gratefully at Anna as the marine deactivated her biotics. "Thank you for not hurting him, he didn't mean any harm." As she gently wrapped a small arm around his massive bicep, the couple quietly walked away as she pressed her head against his shoulder.

It was only until they were out of earshot that Artemis and Dick started laughing their heads off. They immediately stopped when Anna slapped the back of their heads at the same time. "Shutting up boss." Dick quickly said as he rubbed the back of his head for a moment. "I'm guessing you watched NCIS as well, eh 'Gibbs?'" Anna just smirked as she hit Dick in the back of the head one more time for good measure. "I'll take that as a yes."

Shepard frowned at them when they continued to gawk at the retreating couple. "I thought they were sweet actually. I'm sure mixed species couples get enough crap from everyone else without you two adding to it. Besides, don't you know what happened to the krogans?"

"They were basically sterilized." Dick replied, all humor gone from his face as he crossed his arms over his chest, already heading up the ramp so they could collect their winnings and be on their way. "Ok, it's a little more than that but that's the gist of what I got out of the article I came across the other day."

"Maybe, just maybe, that krogan actually wants to have kids one day and doesn't care if they happen to be blue." Artemis spoke up next, earning a strange look from Dick as he stopped in his tracks to look over his shoulder. "I was bored too you know. I can do research just as easily as you can Dick. This blonde hair doesn't reach my brain after all."

"Whoa whoa, I've never made a blonde joke in my life! ...Okay, maybe a couple, but never towards any of my friends or any of our mentors for that matter. I value my life a little more than that." Dick was quick to respond, holding his hands up before him as he walked backwards for a couple of seconds.

"Lucky thing for you kid, because my hair is dyed. I got sick of blonde jokes by the time I was twelve. Ever hear this one? Why can't the guy who makes blonde jokes say anything? Because his jaw is broken. Get it?"

Dick rubbed at his jaw, silently showing that he more than understood the joke. "Got it...you never actually-"

"Tommy Stinston, used to live just down the road from me. He wasn't able to speak right, or eat solid food, for a month after I slugged him." Shepard shrugged at the stunned boy in front of her. "Oddly enough, he didn't bother me much after that. He did ask me to my junior high prom later...ah memories."

"I saw a picture of you with pigtails earlier today. I can't imagine why he didn't take you seriously until after you rearranged his face Anna." Artemis grinned at the horrified look that came over the normally unshakable Lt. Shepard. "Don't worry, I only took one scan of the picture before I saved it in my omni-tool. It will only go on the extranet if I die under mysterious circumstances." The glare Shepard sent her made Artemis give up the game sooner rather than later. "Hey Lt Death Glare, I was only joking! The picture was cute though. How old were you?"

"Old enough that I could have still tossed you around with a flick of my wrist." Artemis got the hint as she let the subject drop entirely. Shepard sighed, she hated using her biotics to threaten people, she felt different enough as it was. While she felt bad about it, both kids knew that Anna had every right and reason to want to keep the past where it belonged, given what had happened to her already.

"Hey, don't worry about it Anna. We all have things we don't like to talk about." Dick replied, having stopped to put a hand on Anna's shoulder before they moved on, together. The marine nodded silently and squeezed the boy's hand for a moment, glad that despite everything they had gone through already, that he and his friends were around. It didn't take them long to cash in their Prize Tokens they had earned, coming out of the Armax Arsenal Arena a couple thousand credits richer than they had gone in. The money wasn't important, not by a long shot, what mattered to her and the two kids at her side was that they had had a blast. Of course, all good things eventually come to an end as Shepard's omni-tool went off, showing a new message from one Admiral Steven Hackett.

Artemis got the feeling that whatever Shepard was reading, it was definitely not good news. "I take it from the look on your face that it's serious?"

"You could say that. Come on, let's get back to the apartment. I need to talk with dad as soon as possible." Admiral Hackett didn't call anyone without a damn good reason. Hopefully whatever it was, it didn't entail a full scale war on the horizon or something equally disastrous.

**A short while later...**

"Do you really have to leave Anna?" M'gann asked, already looking depressed after Shepard had had a chance to talk to her father about what had been in the message before telling everyone else what she could, which wasn't very much since most of it had been deemed classified. The 'official story' was that she was to assist in repairs for a colony on Akuze, but there was more to it than that. Said 'settlers' were in truth an entire company of hardened soldiers and they had disappeared without a trace by all appearances. She and several other N-series operatives were being sent to investigate. "You know I wouldn't tell anyone why you're really leaving, but I still have a very bad feeling about this."

"M'gann, I have to go. Don't worry, I'll be fine. It's probably just a downed transmitter or something stupidly simple like that. Ok that sounded lame even to me." Sighing as she stopped packing her personal belongings, Anna looked at M'gann and offered a reassuring smile before she pulled the martian into a warm hug. "I've enjoyed our time together, and if something does happen out there, making it back to you crazy kids will give me a reason to fight all the harder."

"I can't tell you how much you mean to me Anna, to all of us. _When _you come back, we can pull that prank on Dick that you were so excited about. I'm sure he'll get over it quickly from getting to see you again." Anna laughed and shook her head in amusement as she let M'gann go. The martian couldn't stop a stray tear from falling from her eyes as she left Anna to pack her stuff in peace.

"You better make it back." Anna about jumped out of her skin when Dick hopped out of a nearby air vent and landed quietly behind her. She hadn't known he was even there until he had spoken up. "In all seriousness Anna, M'gann was right. You've grown on us quite a bit and it'd depress the hell out of me to hear you went down. I know, you're like us in that you're just doing what you think is right, so refusing to go is not an option for you. Same as me and the rest of my old team when we did what we had to before popping up here."

"I know what you're trying to do, and I appreciate it Richard. I'm not a hero like you guys were, but I get what you're trying to say." Shepard quickly sealed her rucksack before turning to the former Robin. "So are we talking Selena Kyle or Talia Al Ghul that you're comparing me to?" The smirk on Shepard's face made Dick blush since he had been thinking along those lines.

"Sheesh you're quick. And if you're curious, it's Catwoman, not the hot assassin I've had the misfortune of seeing on Bruce's arm a couple of times." He remembered that Anna held quite a bit of information about Bruce's old dealings on her omni-tool, so it stood to reason she'd have perused some of his old files.

"At least I'm in good company. She turned out to be quite the hero, despite her less than savory beginnings. Especially after Mr. Wayne...shit, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up." Dick waved her off though, a small smile on his face showed he wasn't bothered as much by it anymore. She found out why a moment later as they sat on her bed together for a few minutes while they talked.

"This isn't my reality remember? My reality's Bruce is still alive and kicking somewhere. I do feel sorry for what happened...but I can't change this reality's past anymore than I could change my own. Besides, as much as I might miss my real...my original family, I got an entirely different one that helps with the loss." He gently nudged Anna in the arm as he grinned at her. "We both got lucky there I think. Just get your butt back in one piece and I won't have to hunt you down. I was trained by the best after all." Anna merely shook her head at the smartass boy and ruffled his hair as she stood back up.

"Yeah yeah Boy Blunder. Keep bragging because until you prove it, I won't believe it." Dick stuck his tongue out at her before hopping off of the bed before he went back downstairs. "Damn...how did these kids get to me so quickly?"

"Because you're a good and honorable woman Lt. Shepard." Again Anna almost jumped out of her skin when Kaldur'ahm interrupted her musings without her hearing his approach. "I apologize for startling you, but it is true. You and your father did not have to help them, did not have to take them in, yet you did it anyway and in my humble opinion, they are the better for it."

"What he said, only more manly and smooth." Kaldur had to bite the inside of his cheek as Garrus added his two credits into the conversation from the hallway.

Anna put her face in her hands at the literal parade of people surprising her today. "Is my bedroom Grand Central Station or something?! Wait...that metaphor just went somewhere terrible." Garrus just shrugged and walked away. Even he was smart enough to avoid the verbal minefield Anna had accidently placed in front of him. He valued his turianhood, and didn't want to see himself castrated anytime soon.

"I was going to add that even as you helped them, they have helped you to grow and mature. Am I wrong to assume that has been the case?' After thinking about the Atlantean's words for a moment, Anna had to smile and nod since Kaldur was dead on. "As I thought. I will not ask how, but know that they will likely keep you close to their hearts in some form or another, of that I have no doubt."

"Great, no pressure...you only make it sound like they're my damn little brother and sisters." As soon as the words were out of her mouth though, Anna had to blush in embarrassment for knee jerking as she had. Kaldur was a lot wiser than his obvious youth said he should have been, and knew the woman had already started to think of them as such. Even if she hadn't admitted it to herself yet, it was still plain as day for the Atlantean before her.

"Let me assist you with your bags. I take it this will be a fairly long mission judging by the gear you have assembled." Kaldur motioned to the several cases on the floor of her room. Several armor and weapon modification kits and her armor and weapons themselves he had no doubt were contained in them.

"Be prepared for anything and everything. N-series marines are taught that on day one because even the best laid out plans have a tendency to go FUBAR at a moment's notice. So yeah, I packed everything that wasn't bolted down, and I even undid a few bolts just to be sure."

"Hopefully nothing will fall apart while you are gone." A wry grin appeared on Kaldur's face as Anna pointed to one of the cases next to her rucksack. Kaldur proved he was stronger than the average human by easily lifting the heavy box that she had pointed too with one hand where it would have taken her two at least. "I will do my best to keep an eye on them in your absence. They are my family too after all."

"I heard that fish boy." Artemis said as they left the second floor and came upon the archer who was leaning against the wall where the stairs ended on the first floor. It was Kaldur's turn to look slightly embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Ah don't look so embarrassed Kaldur. It meant a lot to me to hear you say that. Anyway, _you_ better make it back or I'll be joining Dick on the hunt to find you. And believe me, I'll find a way to bring you back to life if I have to, just so I can kill you myself for making us all depressed with your demise, provided you...actually died... That sounded a lot better in my head now that I think about it."

"Would it kill you to admit you're gonna miss me Arty?" Anna asked as a smirk appeared on her face again. Artemis's bottom lip quivered but she refused to say it, so Shepard said it for her. "I'm going to miss you too Artemis. I'm going to miss all of you." The archer couldn't keep her feelings hidden after that as she almost knocked Shepard over before almost crushing the marine in a teary eyed hug.

"Damn it Anna, I wish you wouldn't use my nickname in public. Oh hell, screw it." The air was pressed out of Anna's lungs as Artemis hugged her tighter. "I'm still not going to say it." "_Be safe Anna, and dammit... Yes, I'm going to miss you...M'GANN! Shut this off!"_

The collective mental 'AAWWW!' in the apartment had Artemis blushing a crimson red. "You don't have to Artemis." Anna replied barely above a whisper, pretending she hadn't heard for Artemis's benefit. "Ok...choking, not breathing." Despite the fact she could have sworn she heard one of her ribs crack ominously before the pressure was let off, when Artemis took a step back and glared at the beaming martian who was sitting on the living room couch, Anna found it very difficult to go towards the door. "No one else move a muscle. You're all making this hard enough as it is. Try not to blow up the place while I'm gone you hear?"

"No promises, but I'll do my best to keep _Richard_ contained." Artemis smirked at Dick, who she knew was having a harder time with all of this than he let on.

"I'm not the one with military grade plastic explosive arrowheads." Dick retorted, crossing his arms over his chest, but he let the annoyed expression that had formed on his face disappear as he all but jumped off of the couch and ran towards the door before Anna could leave. "I promised myself I wasn't gonna cry until after you left...I'm just that sensitive." The wise ass remark had given him the excuse to get close enough to her to slip something into her back pocket, something very personal to him. The fact his hand bumped against her bare arm wasn't noticed by Anna as she sighed and rolled her eyes at the perpetual smart ass.

"Goodbye you dick." Richard just grinned and bowed as if she had complimented him rather than insulted him. Laughing as she left the apartment at last, Anna waved one last time as those left behind shouted for her to be safe and a number of other comments along those lines until she was out of earshot and safely on the elevator.

Once she was on the ground floor, Anna took one look at David's face and could only nod at the worried expression she saw there. "Be safe Annabell, and keep in contact for as long as you can."

Kaldur said nothing as the two embraced tightly, knowing that they needed this moment to themselves. By the time they separated, the Atlantean had already loaded Anna's luggage into Anderson's car, and started walking back towards the apartment. "I will, I promise." It was the last thing Kaldur'ahm heard from Anna before the two drove off a moment later. Stopping outside of the elevator, Kaldur bowed his head in silent prayer, hoping that he would be heard, even in this new world. _Mighty Poseidon, please watch over and protect Annabell Shepard. If need be, send us a sign should the worst happen and she were to fall in battle, but I hope it will not come to that. In the name of Atlantis and all of her people, I beseech thee for this one favor, even if I must lose my life in exchange to ensure she returns to where she belongs._

**Twenty minutes later.**

Anderson returned to a somber and unusually quiet living room. No one had to look at him for long to see he felt like he had visibly aged ten years, having watched Anna walk towards the shuttle that would in turn take her to the transport ship that would drop her and the other soldiers on Akuze several days from now. It didn't take long for Dick to break the silence as he pulled up his omni-tool, a slow smile returning to his face. "Looks like they're working perfectly. Thanks for 'accidentally' slipping me those blueprints Garrus."

"I gotta ask, where _did _you get that tacky looking watch you slipped in her pocket?" The smile that had formed on his face disappeared as if it had never been there to begin with, and the turian knew that he had touched upon a very sensitive subject. "I'm sorry-"

"It's...a long story Garrus. My folks, my real folks, used to be part of a circus troupe. We were called the Flying Graysons...my brother gave it to me one of the last times I ever got to talk to him...or any of them." Garrus couldn't have felt worse even if someone had kicked him in his turianhood as the somber mood in the apartment returned with a vengeance. Thankfully, David's interest had been piqued as he looked at the program Dick had left on his omni-tool.

"Are those tracking beacons Richard?" Having his focus pulled elsewhere, Dick silently nodded, still lost in thoughts over the past. "You are a paranoid genius son. Nice job."

"Actually I put two on her. The other one is subdermal and neither one transmits a continuous signal, lowering the chance of either of them being discovered. Never hurts to have a backup plan, that's what Batman always used to say. I told you I learned from the best." Kaldur started rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Oh boy...what did you do Kal?"

The Atlantean lowered his gaze and then looked back up at his friends. "I may have placed an enchanted tracking coin on her person. And in her armor..."

"Um...would it be bad if I said that I did something similar? I accidentally stumbled across some of Ollie's old tracking devices while we were in D.C. and managed to slip one into her biotic amp on the shuttle, just in case we were captured. Now I'm glad I did since you two seem to have had similar ideas. The signal might need to be calibrated into your omni-tool Dick, but luckily for us, Ollie made his trackers work on the same signal."

"Just toss me one of the spares and I'll get right on that Arty." Dick replied cheerfully, already writing up the appropriate program as they spoke.

Anderson looked stunned at how thoroughly the three kids, with a little help from a friendly turian, had more or less lojacked his daughter. He had given serious thought to doing it himself, but felt that Anna would never forgive him for not trusting her to make it back on her own.

M'gann looked down right relieved at the actions and foresight of her overly cautious friends. "I only wish I had done something like that as well. At least we are allowed to be extremely...protective of Anna, David. She'll be back before we know it!" No one could argue with the beaming smile that had overtaken M'gann's face, and by then David couldn't bite his tongue anymore as belly deep laughter escaped him.

"You four have officially made my entire month...you too Vakarian, thanks for helping Richard." Anderson gave an almost grateful look to his young charges and the C-Sec officer. He'd be sleeping a lot easier over the next couple weeks now because of their combined paranoia and over protective natures.

"I just provided the plans, he did all the rest. I'm glad that tracking chip is being put to a far better use than it was originally intended for." For being a human that hadn't been in the galaxy long, Richard Grayson was a technical genius and had taken only a few days to whip up the first working prototype of the tracking chip. Despite the fact a couple of the pieces were held together by hot glue and rubber bands, Dick had assured Garrus that it'd work fine, as long as she didn't end up smashing the watch against a wall or something by accident.

"Let me guess, slavers cooked that thing up right? Talk about irony...Garrus, I suggest you never speak of that around Anna when she gets back...ever." The turian only nodded, needing no explanation as to why David had strongly advised against talking about anything related to slavers. He knew about Mindoir, same as everyone else.

"What is it about slavers and wanting to track everyone? I never understood it, but on the other hand I wouldn't want a slave so maybe it's a good thing I don't understand it?" Dick looked up towards the ceiling, seemingly deep in thought.

"Hey, Boy Ponder, we need to talk about Ollie's tracker remember? Get your brain back down to Earth...errr here before I really give you something to think about." Artemis called from the temporary workshop they had set up in the gym. Considering it was still stuffed with boxes, it had just seemed appropriate at the time.

"Work, work, work." Dick mumbled as he hopped off of the couch, his customary grin plastered on his face until the archer slapped him on the back of the head for making her wait.

Garrus gave a side glance in the duo's direction as a wry grin found its way onto his mandibles. "I see why they enjoy 'working' together so much...I'm going to head back home while I can still resist the urge to embarrass them. Hey Kaldur, why don't you stay here and hang with your friends tonight, for old times sake? I just know you're going to ask me too damn politely anyway, so kick yourself out later...not literally I hope." Garrus winked at the young Atlantean and said his goodbyes to the others before strolling out of the apartment.

Anderson sighed and slowly got to his feet, deep in thought if the look on his face was anything to go by as he walked upstairs, leaving the two teenagers to their own devices. "Do you think he'll be ok Kaldur? He looked pretty upset when he walked in earlier." M'gann hadn't wanted to say anything at the time, but the look on David's face had not been one she ever wanted to see again.

"From my understanding, Anna is as gifted a warrior as her adopted father, but all fathers worry for their children. I believe that is part of the 'job description' of being a parent. Even though my own father and I would have likely never been on the same side in our reality, I still love him and I know he feels the same towards me. Give him time M'gann, he'll be fine once he remembers just how strong his daughter truly is."

"You always knew how to look at things with a cool head Kaldur. I've always been the emotional one, almost impulsive at times. Sometimes I wish I was more like you." She had started to look towards the floor until the Atlantean put his hands on her shoulders, curiosity and a little surprise easy to see on her face as she met his gaze.

"We are who we are M'gann. I would much prefer you stay as you are. Sometimes emotions trump cool heads, especially when improvisation is required. Besides, I wouldn't know you any other way M'gann Morzz." As the martian blushed at Kaldur's kind words, she was reminded all the more how good a friend the young man really was. Fate had brought them together once more, and she would be eternally grateful for that. "Now...shall we assist Artemis and Richard? I do not feel entirely safe leaving those two alone for too long where so many things could potentially explode." M'gann giggled at the teasing comment that Kaldur had come up with so unexpectedly.

"I heard that!" Kaldur and M'gann laughed outright when Artemis shouted from the gym. "Hey M'gann, did I ever tell you about the time Kaldur tried wearing jeans the first time? Turns out he got...stuck in them." The young woman had so much 'dirt' on the Atlantean that he showed rare frustration towards the archer. It was one of the few things he hadn't missed from Artemis, her constant need to embarass him to no end. Even so, it was one of only a very small list of things he hadn't missed from his 'extended family', and even those small things he enjoyed if he was being honest with himself.

"Remember what Wally shouted? What was it...oh right! 'We got a bleeder!'" Dick was bent in half, barely able to breathe from laughing so hard at the look of pure shocked embarrassment on Kaldur's face. Yes, it was just like old times, possibly a little worse.

**Location; Classified**

**April 3rd, 2178**

**03:34 GST**

"Have you analyzed our newest acquisition yet Dr. Graff?" Putting a hand through his short cut gray hair, the doctor in question knew better than to hesitate when talking with the head of his particular project as he focused his steel blue colored eyes on the man. Dr. Hyrum Graff knew who the man in front of him was, what his morals, or lack thereof, had been, but seeing him 'in person' never prepared the doctor for what he was facing now. The fact he should have been dead more than a century ago didn't make these meetings any easier for Dr. Graff as he faced the holographic projection of Lex Luthor himself.

"His skin is just as tough as you predicted, but he is not as strong as his predecessor. That was to be expected, again just as you told us Mr. Luthor. He also does not have several of the purported abilities we had expected, but that wasn't surprising given the apparent flaws in the original cloning process. It's seems his blended DNA is the main cause of said flaws."

"What you call flaws were intended to make the subject easier to control before our plans went up in smoke. Now, given this incredible second chance, I believe we can perfect a potential army of clones from this one's DNA. I killed the original Man of Steel, admittedly a short sighted error on my part, making it impossible to use his tissue. But, this test subject will do nicely." Dr. Graff shivered at the cold smile on Lex's face. He felt bad enough about using live test subjects like this, but it was another thing to look into the face of a monster like Luthor. "Do I detect hesitation Dr. Graff? I know you have a penchant for being too kind hearted to the test subjects. If this is the same clone, then he technically does not have any rights because he is barely human or anything else for that matter. The manner of his creation should answer that on its own."

"He still breathes, he still thinks, and he still has dreams! We've been monitoring everything from blood sugar to brain wave activity and I can assure you that he's just like everyone else if you looked beyond his uses as a weapon!" Lex only folded his hands behind his back and turned away from the holographic image of the doctor. Graff knew he wasn't done talking though since the connection hadn't been terminated, and was afraid of what Luthor would say next after that outburst.

"Oh I see his uses beyond a mere means to an end Dr. Graff. That is where you are fatally mistaken, I assure you. I however, do not like having my authority or my decisions questioned. If you need incentive, I once knew more than a few assassins in my heyday. Some habits die hard." The League of Shadows still existed, of that Lex knew for sure, and he had their current boss on speed dial. Dr. Graff slumped in defeat since that particular threat wasn't a bluff in the least. "Good, I wouldn't want to see your daughter Alicia, or your wife, Samantha have a terribly unfortunate accident."

Graffs wrinkled brows shot up in rage as he glared at the smug man in front of him. "You're a monster Luthor. Fine, the experiments continue, but I hope I'm there when he finds out about this."

"_He_ won't. After all, we've had the 'girl', if you want to call it that, for far longer, and our illusive employer is still blissfully unaware. If you value your family's lives, he will remain that way, but I'm sure you'll never force me to be so...harsh." The hologram disappeared and Dr. Graff was glad that he had locked his office down as he fell against the back wall, all of his strength gone. He was over a barrel and Lex knew it. There was no way out except to continue doing that devil's work.

"God forgive me..." Graff slowly got back to his feet and headed for the door. He had a full list of experiments to perform on the subjects today. He'd just have to invest in some auditory mufflers to block out the screams...but he couldn't do anything against the mental intrusions. They had only perfected the one telepathy shield amp so far, and he wasn't able to be outfitted with one anyway so it was a moot point. As if on cue, 'she' was in his head the moment he left his office.

"_Lex?"_ Nothing else needed to be said as Dr. Graff nodded towards the massive glass tube that housed the white martian specimen. "_I'm sorry. He has always been a master manipulator and he is not above using cruel threats. I guess...you know this already."_

"I'm sorry, but I have to protect my family. I know I'm not going to still be alive after all is said and done, but I sincerely hope you live through the horrors I'm going to do to you" Graff found himself unable to look her in the eye as he stared at the metal floor.

"_This is nothing compared to what they will do to you all, Dr. Graff. You've seen what they did to my race, to the protheans. I wasn't alive when they came, but the memories live on, and that's all I care about anymore, passing on that knowledge to someone that can change things."_ Graff hadn't been 'shown' said memories, but he had seen the evidence by visiting a number of ancient ruins that were scattered throughout their galaxy, collecting samples for his lab work mainly. He knew that the Cycle existed, but there wasn't enough hard evidence to ever prove anything except for one half dead alien girl that they were running all manner of experiments on.

Now Graff had a new subject to haunt his dreams, thanks to Luthor's extensive corrupting of his employer's personnel. Even then his lab techs were already wheeling in a young teenager, heavily sedated because of his superhuman strength and endurance. Reports showed that he had taken an entire shotgun blast to the chest and had kept going with only a minor trip up over his own feet to show for it. Dr. Graff silently hoped this 'Super Boy' would wake up, just so this nightmare would end as the clone created in the original Cadmus Project was put into a similar tank next to the white martian. He was hooked up to a breathing apparatus while several tubes were inserted into his arms and legs. Muscle relaxants and sedatives, as well as a nutrient feed, started to pump into the subject's system, this ensured he wouldn't be a problem anytime soon. Only a massive power failure would stop the feed and that was very unlikely. Cerberus facilities were built to endure a thresher maw attack.

She weakly turned to look at the newcomer before she placed her gaze back on Hyrum. "_Who is he? I guess it doesn't matter. I know you want him to kill you, and I understand why. This will probably surprise you, but despite everything, you're a good man Hyrum, always remember that."_

"How can you not hate me? I might be coerced into doing these things, but that doesn't give me the right to continue. My family...they'd be disgusted with what I'm doing if they knew the truth, and yet I continue so they will not suffer and die at the hands of a madman. All the while I torture sentient life; I hurt you and now this young man, and yet you still try to comfort me...why?" No one paid him any mind as he talked to no one by all appearances, but they knew better. They couldn't ignore the 'girl' anymore than they could ignore their own thoughts. They could try to objectify her, but those that weren't completely cold hearted like some of their number just couldn't do it, and slowly, they started to see things differently. A few of them had similar feelings about what it was they did to the white martian on a regular basis. Despite her outer appearance, they all knew she was still a person, but Lex Luthor had long since taken over their particular task group or cell, and had taken away their choice in ever freeing her or the young man they now had in their possession.

M'gann knew this, so she had never tried to persuade anyone to free her. "_Because it's the right thing to do. Whether you know it or not, you're as much a victim as I am, or him." _The weak alien turned to look in the tube next to her, and out of curiosity, let her mind gently probe the young man's thoughts. What she found there gave her reason to feel something besides quiet submission. Maybe, just maybe there was hope after all. "_Don't give up on me yet Dr. Graff. It might take some time, but I think I might have found a solution to our problems. If you can hold off on anything that will interrupt my concentration, I might be able to bring in the cavalry."_

"I can't promise anything, but I will try for as long as I can safely do so without drawing attention." He couldn't even hint that she might be calling for outside help, if that was what M'gann was thinking. Eventually the more extreme experiments would have to continue, they both knew it, but he was a man of his word. If nothing else that bought him points for whatever awaited him when he died. Dr. Hyrum Graff hoped that at least his ability to keep his word even under these insane circumstances would give him some small favor. In any event, the small glimmer of hope to an eventual end to all this put a smile back on his face, even if it was just for a moment. He just hoped that the head of security on the base didn't get wind of their plans, otherwise, he'd be pushed out of the nearest airlock and a true monster would take his place. If that were to happen, M'gann wouldn't last a month if his replacement caught onto her psychic conversations with his far more sympathetic staff. Not to mention what would happen to the boy. No, he would have to carry on for both of them and wait for whatever absolution or punishment would find him. In the meantime, he had work to do. "May God forgive me..."

"_Hello Hyrum, don't go soft on me now. We have to stick together or we'll never get out of this."_ It took all of Hyrum's considerable willpower not to burst into laughter at M'gann's attempt at humor as a lone tear fell down his cheek.

**On the other side of the galaxy...**

A choked sob burst out of a sleeping martian tens of thousands of light years away. "No...stop hurting her...stop hurting her!" Sitting straight up in her bed, M'gann immediately ran for the nearest bathroom and only just made it to the toilet before puking her guts up. Artemis was the only one close enough to have heard anything as she rushed to her friend's side who was weakly grabbing for the sink in an attempt to pull herself to her feet.

"What happened?! M'gann? Why are you crying? You were throwing up, are you sick?" The confused look on the martian's face scared Artemis more than she was ready to admit. The trembling in M'gann's body wasn't helping matters as the young archer tried to put her arms around the martian in a hug, which M'gann gladly accepted.

"I...I don't know...I just remember...pain...such terrible pain...and a sensation of deep cold. I don't know if it was a bad dream or...something touched my mind or what it was. For a moment I felt...it almost felt like... I only know...I don't want to be alone tonight." The fact her hands were shaking as she let go of the sink's edge scared Artemis even more than when she had found her terrified friend outside the apartment a less than two weeks ago. She couldn't recall a time that the martian had been so absolutely terrified and upset as she clearly was now.

As she slowly guided M'gann back to her room, Artemis couldn't help thinking of everything the fragile girl had gone through in such a short time. _First what happened with David, then Anna being forced to leave, and now this. At this rate, all of us are going to wind up huddled together on a damn shrink's couch. Anna and her dad didn't know what they were getting into, but at least they're understanding. That's more than I can say for a lot of people._ Whatever was going on, it didn't bode well for them. "I'll say with you tonight M'gann, I'm sure it was probably just a bad dream."

As Artemis crawled into bed with the still shaking martian, Dick poked his head past the partially open door. The glare shot at him immediately had him putting his hands up palm first and quickly exciting. As long as Artemis was already helping her, Dick was happy to let her calm M'gann down so she could get some rest. He was more than a little worried about what M'gann might have seen or sensed. Her current emotional state was not definitely normal for her and it kept Richard up for most of that night as he went over any possible reason for what had spooked her so badly. Even after hours of searching and brainstorming, he still couldn't find anything tangible that would help unravel the puzzle. "It's times like these I could really use your advice Bruce..."


	8. A Father Never Gives Up

_A/N; Vergil1989; Well this chapter took an unexpected turn when we were first writing this one up folks, but Archer and myself ran with it until the end and are quite happy with where it took us._

_Archer83; We hope you enjoy this new path we've chosen for the story. The chapters will be less linear from here on out, changing from one time to another as we fill in the rest of the story. Consider this chapter a sneak peek of future events in Lost Youth. Despite how we tell it already having happened, there are still plenty of surprises as we fill in the blanks along the way._

_Vergil; It wasn't my idea, so if it sucks, blame him. :P In all seriousness, we felt it time to jump back to the 'home team' and show what they've been up to. This won't be the last we see of the Justice League by any means..._

**Chapter 8; A Father Never Gives Up**

**Home Reality.**

**Gotham City, Wayne Manor.**

**July 7th, 2012**

**20:00 EST**

"Another late night Master Wayne?" It was a dumb question, but Alfred had never failed in his duties yet and despite how things had gone several months ago, he wasn't about to start now as he made his way to his master's side in the Batcave. Bruce sighed and only nodded as he looked back to his computer terminals. He hadn't spoken much since losing Master Grayson, but on the other hand, Bruce had always been a man of few words. "I know you most likely do not wish company Master Wayne, but several members of the Justice League are upstairs. It seems that not talking to your acquaintances for the better part of nine months made them a bit worried." Bruce tried to stand from his chair, but Alfred did something he rarely did and stopped him before he could get far. "You are not the only one that misses them, that misses _him_ Bruce. Remember that."

"I know, Alfred. Just...show them out please." Bruce knew it would be a wasted effort as soon as the words were out of his mouth. And right on cue, he felt an all too familiar red tinted rush of air pass by as Barry seemed to appear right beside him, as if he'd always been there. Soon enough, Bruce knew that the others wouldn't be too far behind.

"Sorry buddy, but you ain't getting rid of us that easily." Hal said as he led the others down the stairs towards Bruce. "No e-mails, no phone calls, not even a damn Christmas card. If not for Alfred keeping us informed, we'd have searched for you ages ago Bruce."

"He's right Bats, you had us worried and when I get worried, it screws up my already screwed up metabolism." Despite how cheery he tried to sound, even Barry had been affected by the loss of Wally and the other kids just as badly as everyone else. It had been enough to dull his otherwise light hearted disposition, and Bruce only had to look at the speedster's eyes to see that for himself.

Instead of jumping out of his seat, Bruce only sighed when another voice started speaking behind him. As stealthy as the man was, he was no match for the Dark Knight's sharply trained senses. "Don't you think I wanted to go hide in a hole and pull it in after me Bruce? We all did, but we are still out there doing what we can to keep the world safe. To do anything less is to dishonor their memories. Remember?"

"Don't try to play psychologist with me Queen. I remember all too well. Now get the hell out before I throw all of you to the curb." Having his own speech twisted back on himself was not something Bruce was prepared to tolerate.

"We didn't come here for a fight Bruce." Diana said as she stepped forward, and Bruce's face softened somewhat as she stopped right in front of his chair. "We came to tell you that we think something similar that happened to Kal-El happened to the kids when the bomb detonated. Remember Toymaker?"

He knew where she was going with the line of thought, but Bruce wanted all the facts before he did anything further. He was methodical and meticulous to the extreme, especially when it came to different realities and time travel, given the League's past history with both. "How can I forget? Everyone else thought he was dead, but I proved otherwise. Are you going to get to the point Diana?"

"If you'd let her finish maybe she will Bruce." Clarke cut in, crossing his arms over his chest as the Man of Steel and Batman's eyes met. An awkward silence fell between them until Kal-El was forced to look away from the all too intense gaze that Bruce threw his way. It didn't help that they both knew that Batman was the only person that could actually stand up to the Man of Steel and win.

Diana had since pulled out a piece of metal from her handbag she had brought along, and tossed it underhanded towards Bruce who caught it without any effort on his part. He took one look at the hunk of metal and nodded, having not been in the least bit surprised by what it revealed to him. "It's been sheared off as if it was never there. Matter can't be created or destroyed, only changed. You're telling me what I already know."

"Why am I not surprised?" Barry asked as he looked to the rest of the group. "What? It should have been painfully obvious that Bats always has a plan or a theory or something." The rest of the League that had come down to the Batcave weren't so happy with the fact that their ally had kept such important information from the rest of them.

"You KNEW and you never said anything?!" With an enraged look in his eyes, Oliver grabbed Bruce by the shoulders and hoisted him out of the chair. "I mourned for _her_ Bruce! We mourned for them all! The least you could have done was told us you thought they might be alive!"

"That's why I _didn't _say anything! I don't deal in 'mights'! I didn't want to get your hopes up only to have them dashed!" Bruce bluntly replied as he pushed the man's arms off his shoulders. Ollie looked ready to pull his bow off of his back and take a shot at him, but Hal stepped in and encased both men in a green bubble of sheer willpower from his ring.

"Before you two start your own little Hunger Games down here, I suggest you listen to the rest of what we have to say. I was able to do a scan of that hunk of metal that was once a Prius. There's energy radiating off of it, chronomorphic energy. They weren't just displaced across realities Bruce, they were displaced across time." Dropping the bubbles he had wrapped around the two of them, Hal hoped it'd be enough to figure out where and when their students and in some cases, relatives, had wound up.

Bruce quickly glanced at the hunk of metal in his hand as his gaze snapped back up to Jordan. "I had had a feeling that it wouldn't be as simple as them being misplaced in another reality, but I can't scan for chronomorphic energy. Were you able to get an approximate timeframe Hal?" He was already furiously working out the equations in his head as Bruce scanned the new piece of evidence into his computer system. Every piece of data would help get things moving that much quicker.

"Ganthet's best estimate is around the late 2170s, and yes I know that isn't very specific." Hal hated to owe the Guardians any favors, but in this case he had made an exception. While he hadn't had a protege, he still considered the Team a part of his life, and that part had been missing for far too long.

"Every little bit helps Hal...I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner." Bruce stopped as he looked down at the table in front of him, needing a moment to collect himself after going from depressed to anger to renewed hope at the drop of a hat only moments ago. "I might not seem like I care at times, but believe me when I say that I do."

Oliver crossed his arms and frowned at Bruce. "You still should have said something Bruce, and while I might not like your reasoning, I know I'll like your results. Where is it? Don't even try to play dumb." 'It' being a reference to the dimensional device that Bruce had been working on in secret.

A smirk appeared on Bruce's face as he looked up at Oliver before he pointed towards a shadowy alcove behind the Bat Computer. "You passed right by it and didn't even know it. Five years on that island and you still can't see in the dark."

"I just didn't think you'd be stupid enough to leave something like that out in the open is all." Oliver cringed as Barry zipped over to the spot Bruce had pointed to before instantly reappearing in front of the archer.

"Dude...it's a massive stargate looking gizmo, how exactly did you miss that Ollie? Someone's gonna get sued if the Sy-Fy channel catches wind of this thing." Diana and a few of the other League members had to quietly chuckle at the speedster's statement. It felt good to smile again, now that they had a reason to do so.

"Richard inspired its design." No one had to ask anything beyond that as Bruce walked over to a control console, and started inputting the necessary equations now that he finally had the missing piece of the puzzle. Not being able to properly use the device for the last few weeks had almost driven him mad. "As for how it works, it's complicated. Just be glad that it does."

Hal stuck his hand out in a 'stop right there' gesture. "I still have a headache from when you tried to explain how quantum theory works to me. Complicated will do just fine."

"There's only one minor problem left. I have no way of properly testing this device that far into the future. So I'll be the one to test it; I'm not risking anyone else. Before any of you start to complain, I'm not releasing the security lockouts on this device until you are all far, far away from here. And don't even _think _about trying to get by me J'onn." The Martian Manhunter had remained quiet and invisible the entire time they had been there, but he should have known that he could not fool Bruce as he made himself visible to everyone.

"It was...how you say, worth a try. I'm sure you can understand my reasons Bruce. M'gann has been lost to me just as Richard has been lost to you." Bruce only nodded solemnly because he understood the martian's wish to see his niece again. It was the same as his own for his adopted son, for all of the Justice League really. They had all lost someone they cared about that fateful day.

"I know J'onn, but I promise I'll establish a working 'bridge' between our two realities as soon as I can. If I survive the process that is." Bruce didn't see the worried look on Diana's face as he continued inputting the data. He didn't have to though because he knew that they had grown too close not to worry about the well being of those they fought alongside with daily. "Now please, go so I can attempt to help them. I know I have a good chance at success."

"You heard him, and you all know how paranoid he is. I suggest you all do as Bruce asks." As the rest of the small group started to leave, Diana placed a kiss on Bruce's cheek. "Good luck Bruce, you better bring them back. I'll hunt you down in the Underworld if you don't."

Bruce smirked at the Amazonian warrior but nodded before she turned on her heel and flew off alongside J'onn, Hal, and Clarke. Although the Man of Steel hesitated for a moment as he looked over his shoulder at the Dark Knight. Despite his own mixed feelings about Connor, Bruce knew that Clarke wanted the clone returned safely to him just as much as Oliver and the rest wanted their own proteges back.

"Do you two really think I'm stupid enough to not notice that you didn't leave?" Bruce just sighed and tapped his foot as Barry appeared next to him and shocked him by giving him a hug. Then he very wisely zipped a few meters away before Bruce could even react.

"Take care of yourself buddy." With a sad smile Barry gave him a wave and sped away.

"Try not to get yourself killed Bruce. Coming back from the dead is hard work, believe me I know." Bruce breathed a sigh of relief when Oliver finally walked up the stairs and exited the cave.

""Alfred, please make sure they actually _leave_. The last thing I need are any surprises right now." Bruce grumbled to his loyal friend, who had quickly returned after seeing the guests leave. "Thank you Alfred, for everything."

"It has been my honor Master Bruce, but I do not believe this is goodbye old friend. Godspeed and a safe journey to you. I know you'll find them and bring them back safe and sound." Alfred's steadfast loyalty and complete faith in him was never more appreciated than it was at that moment. Out of everything that had changed in his life, Alfred had remained the same.

"I know you're watching Shayera, tell them I appreciate their concern, but it's not helping." Bruce didn't have to look up towards the roof of the cave to know that the League's resident Thanagarian had snuck in and stayed behind. Despite what had happened when her people had invaded Earth, she had eventually decided to return to the League, and despite some lingering misgivings, everyone had been happy to have her back.

"Damn! I didn't even make a sound...how did you know Bruce?" Landing almost as silently as she had gotten up to her perch, Shayera's gaze fell on the man's back the moment she was standing again.

"You just told me." Hawkgirl facepalmed herself at giving herself away so easily it seemed. Bruce's senses weren't superhuman, a fact she sometimes forgot. He was the only one of them that didn't have any powers, yet he was in some ways the strongest of them all.

"They worry about you Bruce, as do I. Since I would lose any fight with you, verbal or otherwise, I will simply say safe journey my friend." She bowed her head slightly before the winged woman turned and prepared to leave. Bruce stopped her with a question however.

"Sheyara, I never asked but what made you come back when you did? You had every reason to stay away, especially with Diana wanting to tear you apart." Wonder Woman had been the most verbal against her rejoining the League after Hawkgirl had been revealed to be a spy sent ahead of the main force from Thanagar. She had threatened to punch a hole through Shayera's face, on more than one occasion after it became official, but eventually things had quieted between the two super powered women.

"The same reason you risk yourself now; one should never give up on their family, loved ones, and friends. Besides, as much as some of you hated me for my part in Thanagar's attempted destruction of this world, I couldn't stay away from John." As hard as it was for her to admit it, Shayera managed a small smile as she met Bruce's gaze.

"Love has a tendency to conquer everything in its path. You proved that better than anyone Shayera. When you see John again, don't let him go." She quietly flew up to the top of the stairs leading to the mansion, but turned back to look at Bruce one last time.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Bruce didn't even look to see if she had left, her sense of honor would see to that.

As he entered the last set of equations and released the security lockouts, Bruce rolled a large metal container full of tactical gear, two prototype Batsuits, spare parts, technical blueprints, and hard drives onto the platform. Along with other basic supplies, a miniaturized secondary device had already been placed there. Only a large duffel bag of items he theorized might be valuable in the future remained as he picked it up and nodded to Alfred on his way up to the 'stargate'. "Thank you for everything Alfred, and I understand why you wanted to let them help me."

Tapping away at the control console to the right of the portal, Bruce didn't notice as a wry grin spread across Alfred's face. "Good luck to the both of you Master Bruce." He was so focused on the last second calculations that Alfred's actual words sunk in a split second too late.

Bruce didn't catch on until after he had already pushed the heavy trolley full of his personal effects through the gate. He picked up his duffel bag, only to be tackled just as his eyes fell on the grinning butler. "You..." They were on the other side of the gate by the time they hit the stone hard floor again. "...stubborn son of a..."

Oliver's grinning face was only centimeters away from the coldest scowl he had ever seen from Bruce. "Sorry Bruce, it's not that I don't trust you but...no that's basically it. Don't be too mad at the others, this was mainly my idea."

"Why am I not surprised?" Bruce thunked his head against the ground as Oliver stood up and offered him a hand. He shouldn't have thought he'd get away from his allies that easily. They had faced death far too many times to truly be afraid of it, and in all honesty, Bruce was happy for the extra help, even if it was in the form of another 'playboy'.

"Huh. Look at that, we didn't die. Nice work Dork Knight." The smirk on Ollie's face disappeared as he looked around the cave. "Um...Bruce? If we didn't die, then who are those two?" Getting to his feet, Bruce shot a glare at Oliver that would have normally chilled anyone's blood down considerably, but his gaze had since fallen to the bound remains of this reality's Batman. Even with half of this Batcave demolished either through the passage of time or whatever had happened here, he'd recognize his 'home' anywhere. "Oh...that's not good. Who's the other stiff?"

One of the two skeletal corpses not far from them was clearly wearing an almost entirely disintegrated Batsuit. While he wasn't a superstitious man, Bruce couldn't think of a worse omen than seeing himself long dead as he took in his surroundings. It didn't take Bruce long to discover a pair of 'joke teeth' laying by the second body. Only one criminal used 'gag props' as weapons. "At least he took this piece of scum out with him, or if I had to guess by the footprints leading out of the cave, Harley did. Only she would follow the Joker down here, call it an educated guess."

"You're the detective, and those two were your worst enemies so I'm inclined to believe you. Now let's get your toys set up and see if we can get some lights on in here." Bruce stopped Oliver from going anywhere as a heavy hand fell on his shoulder. It took some effort on Ollie's part not to turn around and try not to hit the Dark Knight, his mind immediately flashing back to his time on the island before he snapped back to reality.

"We need to make sure Joker didn't leave any surprises behind first, and then see if we can even leave this cave. I'd rather not starve to death down here." While he had brought enough food for himself to last a considerable amount of time, Bruce still wouldn't have relied solely on his own stores even if Oliver hadn't jumped through the gate behind him. Oliver's presence threw a wrench into Bruce's plans, but he would adapt. On the other hand, it would help to have someone that could assist with getting his hideout at least partially up and running.

"Right, and Bruce?" The man could only groan in unexpected agony as Oliver kneed him in the groin when he turned towards the younger archer. "That's for keeping Artemis's survival a secret this whole time."

"You really...want to test me...while we're trapped...underground?!" The thought of having to tell Oliver's family, what was left of it anyway, that Oliver had died for real this time was looking tempting to the Dark Knight as he slowly got to his feet. At least he tried to anyway before Bruce fell back to the ground with an angry groan. "How Diggle never shot you is a mystery to even me."

"He gets me, what can I say? And I just wanted to get that out of my system. You take a little break buddy and I'll see if the backup power still works. You might want to put a cold pack on that." Bruce could only glare at him while the man walked over to the emergency power control box. "Hmm...looks simple enough...really? You have explosives planted just in case someone got in here?" He had followed one of the wires to an unmistakable device that had an 'armed/disarmed' display on the front of it. Oliver should have realized that no matter the reality, Bruce would always be Bruce.

"Knockout gas; strong enough to put even Superman down. See the red button that says 'Do Not Touch'? Hit that one, then the others in this order; green, blue, blue, yellow, red, green. Hopefully he used the same sequence, if not...lights out."

"Okay, you said red, green, blue, blue, green, yellow, green, right? Just kidding, don't have a heart attack Bruce." A moment later, the emergency lighting kicked in and a few still operational devices started to power up. "Thank god he was boring and predictable like you. At least Felicity Smoak has more of an imagination than you do, otherwise half of my escapades wouldn't have gone so well."

"That explains why half the Glades got demolished by your own nemesis, Malcolm Merlyn." Bruce immediately regretted his knee jerk insult, having not meant to hit upon such a sensitive subject.

"Aw...just because you probably won't be able to have children now, there's no need for low blows Bruce." Ollie just smirked as he walked over to the now semi-standing man. While the comment had hurt him deeply, he wasn't going to let Bruce know that. _If only you were anyone but Batman, I'd have gladly broken your arm for that comment._

Unfortunately for Oliver, he was in the company of the world's greatest detective, and no one's secrets were safe for long with him around. "That was a very poor choice of words on my part Oliver. I think I just earned that knee to the balls."

"Maybe one more..." Bruce minutely flinched as Ollie approached him, but then relaxed as the man simply smiled and walked passed him. "Maybe I kind of earned that for jumping you and talking Alfred and the rest of the League into helping me. And if you're curious, I didn't make the decision lightly to come here Bruce. I knew it was possibly a one way trip, but with how things are going back in Starling City, it might be better that the Hood disappeared for a while."

"Do I look naive?" Oliver grinned at Bruce and pointed at his nether regions as he sighed. "Aside from you abusing my trust, it's obvious why you did what you did. I'm sure we'll find Artemis; hopefully she'll have found some of the others for us." Unable to walk properly, Bruce had luckily been by his computer chair which was miraculously still in one piece when he had gone down, and was able to push himself along towards his Bat Computer. "Keep trying to get this place up and running Ollie, I'll see if I can't find any information on them or this universe we're in while I regain the use of my legs."

"Got it boss." Bruce was already knee deep in his database search as he tried to gain a connection with whatever passed for the internet in this reality. He knew his system was old if the estimate of them being in the 2170s was anything to go on, but even Bruce wasn't prepared for how far this civilization had come as his computer network joined with the rest of the cyber universe.

"Damn it!" Oliver instantly rushed over to see what had already managed to piss off Bruce in less than five minutes. "Check the date, tell me what you see."

"June 27th 2182?! We're too far ahead!" One look at Bruce's face however calmed the archer down as Oliver realized immediately that his older counterpart's mind was already adjusting his initial strategy.

"This might actually work towards our advantage. We trained them and they wanted to be heroes like us Oliver. That means that they wouldn't have been idle. Whether they've kept their identities a secret or not doesn't matter because we know their methods and their tactics better than anyone." Bruce decided to try the simplest tactic first, and entered their names into a search engine. The massive amount of information he saw a split second later surprised even him. When his search came back with Richard's name first followed almost immediately by Artemis Crock, he wasn't as shocked as Oliver was by what they found.

"Yes! They're alive! Five are mentioned all over the place, and I don't see any bad news at least about Wally or Zatanna, thank christ. This is going to be easier than I thought. Well they definitely didn't bother to keep their identities secret. Before the year 2178, there's nothing recent, so maybe they appeared in the middle of the street when the bomb went off?" It wasn't far off the mark, but Batman was more interested in the results he came up with when he put in a search for Kaldur'ahm. There were discrepancies between their initial arrival dates that he noticed immediately.

"Time dilation. The black hole bomb displaced them across the time stream in this reality. From what I can tell, it looks like Artemis, M'gann, and Dick were relatively lucky in when and where they arrived. Kaldur'ahm and Connor look to have ended up here several months apart and in entirely different locations. Kaldur is currently a C-Sec officer with a 'turian' named Garrus Vakarian, his immediate superior and partner on the Citadel. It looks like Connor wasn't as lucky..." Bruce could feel his fingers going numb from clenching his fists so tightly when he had read what happened to the boy.

Bruce tried to push that part that out of his mind for the moment as he went back to looking for information related to the others. "Take a look at the man that's with them here. Captain David Anderson. He adopted M'gann and Artemis while his older adopted daughter took in Connor and Richard as their legal guardian. This Commander Annabell Shepard has an impressive record, the parts I can access from here anyway." Bruce was immeasurably glad that they had apparently wound up in the care of some very good people, and that they had put their skills to very good use. He wasn't so happy about the fact some of them had taken to visiting a combat arena on a regular basis, but Bruce could forgive them a couple guilty pleasures, especially if the videos attached about how difficult the combat courses they had participated in were to be believed.

"Why am I not surprised? Take a look at this..." Bruce glanced over at a screen Oliver had brought up and did a double take at the list of accomplishments credited to five of their seven lost charges that they could easily find, not to mention Anderson and Shepard. "Anderson could probably melt down all of his medals and make a life sized statue of himself. He doesn't strike me as the pretentious type though. As for Artemis and Richard, would it be okay if I castrated Boy Wonder?" There was a not so flattering picture of the two kissing in public on some strange world far from Earth.

"What's wrong Ollie, you look upset? I seem to recall there were a couple of news articles about you in a similar situation, although most of those pictures were X rated. They make a nice couple if you ask me...and don't forget that they've been here for almost four years." Bruce was much more interested in the headline attached to the picture. "Battle of Elysium during the Skyllian Blitz; it was a crushing victory for the Systems Alliance. It seems Commander Shepard lead the colony's militia and the defenses against a massive attack perpetrated by government funded 'batarian' slavers and pirates. Artemis Crock and Richard Grayson, along with Megan Morse, and Kaldur'ahm stood beside her throughout the battle and helped to win the day. They were given several awards, and Shepard was awarded the Star of Terra, the highest honor from what I can tell."

Oliver just snorted at the irony that things never really do change. "Well...nice to see the future has improved so much. Now they have _alien _slavers and pirates in the twenty-third century too. I'm glad they were able to make a difference, but I'm still having a chat with your son Bruce. I promise I won't do anything...rash, like hang him by his feet over the side of a skyscraper."

"Has it occured to you that Artemis might have a say in the matter? Besides, I seem to remember she came to me after your ordeal with the Huntress. She's much more mature than you give her credit for Ollie, I'm sure she gave a lot of thought to this. Oh...you might not want to see this...Artemis Lian Crock will be expecting the birth of her first child-"

"WHAT?!" Oliver jerked his head towards Bruce and almost pushed the chair across the cave as he read the same article, only to glare at the man who was laughing deep from his belly. "Very funny Batass." He wasn't sure if he was happy to know that Artemis was not expecting a kid or not, but Oliver knew that he was upset over being played by Bruce.

"You should have seen the look on your face. Okay, enough screwing around. We know at least five of them are alive and well, and as you pointed out, there were no death notices or articles of any kind on Wally or Zatanna. I don't like the fact that Connor was experimented on, but we can't change that now. Probably best to go easy on that part _when _Clarke no doubt shows up after we set up the temporal-dimensional bridge." He could already imagine Superman going supernova and wanting to completely destroy the people responsible. Whatever this 'Cerberus' was, they were in for a painful reckoning in the near future. Bruce would see to that himself if no one else did.

Oliver just a pointed a finger at Bruce as the man ignored him and got back to work. "Your humor sucks by the way. I'm going to see if I can find us a quick exit, maybe your less chatty version was just as paranoid as you are."

"I've been told worse things. Just be careful Ollie; every Bruce might be the same, but I know from past experience we've also been vastly different. The fact the Justice League never formed up in this reality proves that on its own." He had tried to find a reference to the team and had found individual heroes and the like, but there had been no unified front line of defense as there was back home. The Watchtower was also missing from this reality, which unnerved Bruce more than a little. He would have preferred an eye in the sky that wasn't government funded as was the case with the Luna Base on the Moon, owned by the Systems Alliance.

While Bruce continued his research, Oliver had managed to find one of the cave's many emergency exits that wasn't damaged too badly or buried beneath tons of debris. The only problem was that time had sealed the hatch shut permanently, but he had a quick fix for that as he reached into his quiver. "Well I'll be damned, all those sleepless nights you both must have had finally paid off...fire in the hole!"

"Wait...what?!" Bruce jerked his head around in time to see Ollie loosing an explosive tipped arrow from his bow. "ARE YOU-" A loud explosion echoed in the confined space a moment later. "...insane? I guess the ringing in my ears answers that question for me..."

"What? We needed a way out, I just saved us a lot of time. Oh good, looks like the passageway is still intact. I'm gonna go get the lay of the land while you do your tech crap." Ollie smirked as his irritated friend and darted into the new hole in the wall before Bruce could do anything to stop him.

"If you were trying to bury us alive, you certainly went about it the right way Queen. These caves might have been here for centuries before, but that doesn't mean they've remained structurally sound! The manor above, if it's still there, could have fallen on top of us when you decided to blow a hole in the ceiling! Why I am talking to myself? That man is going to make me crazy...crazier." Queen hadn't listened to anything Bruce had said before he had left the caves anyway, and he knew that the other billionaire playboy most likely hadn't heard him. Still, it made Bruce feel better to get that off of his chest.

He didn't have much time to work on setting up his equipment though as Oliver shouted from the end of the passage to get his attention a few minutes later. "Bruce! Get your ass up here, you'll want to see this!"

Bruce just dropped his head and sighed in annoyance as he stopped unpacking some of his gear before heading towards the emergency exit. "This better not be a waste of time Oli-" The hill that his manor stood upon was just as he remembered it, but it was the city in the distance that caught his attention. He wasn't exactly expecting the sight that lay before them. It'd seemed that Gotham had completely changed in the intervening years. Even from this distance, both men could see that there were flying shuttles, cars, and a magnetic rail line that passed around the city's perimeter, which was a lot closer than he remembered it being. "I guess the future isn't as dark as we thought. Appearances can be deceiving though. We know that better than anyone."

Despite the gleaming spires of glass and steel, despite the clean air and from what he could see as he looked towards the sea, the pollution free ocean, he knew that true darkness would most likely still hide in the shadows just like it did back home. Future or not, there would always be problems that people like him would have to deal with. Oliver sighed and knew that Bruce was right, even if he hoped that he wasn't. "Even if some things don't change Bruce, wouldn't it be nice to at least pretend that this future could be our own someday? I mean look at it. I've been to Gotham; it's a rats' nest, and Starling City isn't much better I know, but just _look _at what we can achieve."

"I'm done looking. Are you going to help me get the bridge operational now or are you going to continue staring like a tourist?" Despite his harsh words, Bruce knew that Ollie also had a valid point. As much as he didn't see the point of getting attached to a future that he wouldn't see most likely in his own reality anyway, he saw the same potential that Oliver had already seen for those back home. It was a future worth fighting for.

"Yeah...I get the point. Let's get this done." Oliver glanced over his shoulder one more time as they headed back underground. "Umm...are you seeing what I'm seeing?" It appeared that they must have gotten someone's attention as three small craft started approaching rapidly.

Bruce just glared at Oliver as they ran back into the cave. "I'm guessing the recent seismic waves, from say an underground explosion, probably caught their attention. Grab anything you can easily carry, now!" They didn't need to draw anymore attention to themselves than they had already by getting captured. Entering a program designed to completely wipe the hard drive, Batman made sure it wouldn't be salvaged in the slightest, while planting a bomb on his 'old' computer. Of course, he wanted to be sure that he didn't leave even a shred of evidence behind, so he had brought several more explosive charges just in case. "Thirty-five million dollars worth of equipment is about to go up in smoke. Let's go!" Oliver didn't need any more incentive than that as they ran as fast as they could away from the area. Unfortunately, the vehicles had already landed and had begun off loading their passengers.

"Hey! You there! Stop right now!" Bruce didn't bother to stop as his family's manor exploded, a pressure wave knocking several of the soldiers that were tailing them to the ground but he, Oliver, and whoever was behind them were far enough away that they were relatively untouched. No one was seriously wounded, but he knew that a charge of destruction of property was going to be the least of their worries. Assaulting military personnel was a serious crime in any reality, even if it had been accidental as was the case here.

"Time to lose these guys Bruce, can I shoot a couple in the knee? That would slow them down." He was a master archer and Bruce knew it, but he didn't want to chance them getting into more trouble than they were already. That soldier for instance was still trying to follow them was going to be problematic on his own.

"What is wrong with you Queen? No lethal weapons; we'll use other means." Leading the way into the forest surrounding his manor, Bruce immediately slipped into the shadows, having planned to get the drop on the quickly approaching man the first chance he got.

Despite talking to empty air, Oliver knew the Dark Knight was within earshot as he followed his friend's example and did his best to blend into his surroundings. "You're no fun buddy, fine we do it your way."

As if to make their job easier, soldier boy was announcing his presence to the two heroes. "I know the two of you are out there! Come out peacefully, please don't make me shoot you." Oliver raised an eyebrow at the young man's words but said nothing from the tree he had climbed, his bow already out and aimed at the man's right leg. There was one thing Bruce always seemed to forget, the Hood never killed unless he had no other choice in the matter. Kneecaps on the other hand were fair game. Unfortunately for Oliver Queen, the tree branch he had perched himself in decided to snap under his weight, dropping him on his back behind the marine. Stunned and feeling a sharp pain in his left ankle, Oliver knew he was in trouble. "Nice of you to drop in. Ah ah, drop the bow, nice and easy. Where's your buddy?"

Staring into the barrel of a strange pistol if he had to guess, Oliver was glad he had had the presence of mind to pull his hood up over his face as he did as the man asked. Having activated his voice manipulator which was attached to his belt, Oliver smirked as he slowly stood to his feet. "That's a good question. If I know him, he's probably already behind you." _Anytime Bruce._

"Huh. Yeah right, as if I'm gonna fall for-" For once, the 'look behind you' gag wasn't a joke as Bruce stunned the man with a chop to the back of his neck and disarmed him a moment later by twisting his right arm. Unfortunately for them, they didn't know that not all soldiers were created equally in this time period. Bruce only then realized that his chop to the man's neck had met with something metallic and only had a moment to duck back and block the counter swing that was aimed for his head. The next thing he knew, he was being lifted off of the ground as a dark blue glow enveloped him. Oliver was stunned at the display of some kind of telekinesis ability this guy possessed.

"Let him go!" Oliver had since recovered his bow and had another arrow ready to fire, but found he too was stopped in his tracks as a similar blue glow appeared around him and he too was lifted into the air. "Ok this ain't good. God I hate cheaters." With his voice changer still active, Oliver's comment came out as imposing but it sounded rather ridiculous as well.

"I've had just about enough crap from you two idiots. Who the hell are you, and why did you blow up that centuries old building?!" He couldn't maintain two separate Lift fields for long, but he could do it long enough for backup to arrive hopefully.

Bruce noticed the stripes on the man's uniform while he tried to distract the soldier from Oliver, hoping whatever he had done wouldn't last too much longer. He could already see sweat forming on the young man's forehead which was a sure sign that they wouldn't have to wait long. "You wouldn't believe us even if we told you...Lieutenant."

Something about the way the older man's eyes seemed to be sizing him up with a mere glance triggered something in the marine's head. "Wait a minute...you...you look familiar. I must have seen your picture somewhere. Richard! Richard Grayson has a picture of you in his barracks locker! But...that's impossible, you can't be _him_! You're dead...Richard told me so." That got their attention, needless to say.

"You know Richard Grayson? Who are you?!" The marine had to take a step back at the icy cold glare that met his gaze, having never seen someone with such an imposing look in their eyes before. Not even his drill instructors back in BaAT could have gotten close.

"Easy Br-" Oliver felt like banging his head on something for his slip, but stopped himself short. Unfortunately, the damage was already done going by the look on the Lt's face.

"You really are him, aren't you? You're Bruce Wayne. How is that even possible...unless the stories I've heard about Dick and his friends are true? Dammit, I'm gonna regret this, I just know it! You two are going to follow me and do _exactly_ as I say. Are we clear?" Oliver was more than happy to take advantage of their miraculous luck, but one look at Bruce made the archer wonder if this kid would get two steps away before the Dark Knight decided to leave him for the wolves.

Bruce narrowed his eyes at the marine but nodded, not liking to trust his fate to anyone but himself. The only reason why he wasn't already reaching for one of his hidden batarangs was because he was willing to give this man a chance to reunite him with his adopted son. If push came to shove and they tried to cuff them, Bruce was sure he could escape relatively easily.

The rest of their pursuers soon caught up with them and the dark blue glow around them faded as the man ceased whatever he was doing to them, dropping them to the ground. "Stand down! It looks like we've stumbled onto some type of classified op here gentlemen. The rest of you head back to base, I need to take these two in for a debriefing ASAP."

One of the men in the group just gave Bruce and Oliver's apparent ally a confused look. "Are you sure that's wise sir? The regs say we should take these guys in for questioning, period."

"I hope you know what you're doing." Oliver whispered, having gotten their bags off the ground on his way to his friend's side. He didn't like this anymore than Bruce did, but if it got him to Artemis, he was willing to trust the man beside him.

"Are you refusing a direct order Private?" When the younger man shook his head and started to speak he was cut off. "Get your ass back to base Hackett, before I tell your grandfather you like to question your superior officers."

"Aye sir!" Bruce and Oliver shrugged after they looked at each other; it was certainly better than any story they could have come up with on the fly. Bruce remembered seeing an Admiral Steven Hackett listed in the records he had been able to peruse before being interrupted, the man the marine had dressed down had to have been his grandson.

When they were alone a short while later, the young officer turned towards Bruce and Oliver with an angry expression on his face. "I might have just pissed away my entire career, so I swear to god that if you two give me any trouble, I will make you regret it. Now, what the hell is going on?"

"If you truly do know Richard, then I'll make sure the fallout from this doesn't affect you. You risked a great deal to help us, but I'm the one that makes the threats." Bruce didn't appreciate having someone half his weight trying to intimidate him, and he especially didn't like taking a chance with someone they had only just met.

While he had his own misgivings, Oliver at least was less of a paranoid old bat than his friend. "Grumpy over there, as you already know, is Bruce Wayne. And he's right, we owe you big time. Oliver Queen, nice to meet you Lt..." Oliver's tone made it clear he expected the man's name in return.

"Lt. Kaidan Alenko...wait, _the _Oliver Queen? I can't believe this! I almost feel like I'm dreaming." Oliver promptly punched him in the arm as he smirked at the man. "Ow! Got it, right, not dreaming. Nice outfit 'Robin Hood' Come on, I have an idea, hopefully I won't be court martialed for this."

"Worst comes to worst, I'll bust your ass out." Kaidan had already started to remind Oliver of Diggle, and he found that he liked this kid. Bruce was a little annoyed at the obvious fanboy the two of them had somehow found not ten minutes after being in this reality.

"Oh thanks, I feel so much better now..." Oliver grinned at the sarcasm directed his way as Alenko led them to his vehicle and activated some type of orange glowing comm device on his right arm. "Hey Grayson, do I have a surprise for you...meet me at that club you talked me into going to last Thursday. Bring Artemis, Megan, and Connor with you. See you soon buddy."

"Wait...Artemis is here?!" Oliver hadn't even thought about what he was doing until he realized he had grabbed the man and shoved him up against the craft. Luckily for Kaidan, Bruce was able to pull Oliver back before he could hurt the marine or Alenko could do the same to the archer. Oliver quickly relaxed and held up his hands before him, looking embarrassed and a bit ashamed for his knee jerk response.

"Five years on an island will change anyone Mr. Queen. I uh...did a dissertation on you at the academy. Survival was the main point of the project, as you can probably guess." Kaidan was made of tougher stuff than Bruce would have guessed. Most people would have been a great deal more put off if they were grabbed and almost slammed into the side of a car.

"Oh...well no wonder you were kissing my ass earlier, you can stop that by the way. What they might have had in the news and what really happened...let's just say that they aren't even close to being the same." The dark look that passed over Oliver's face told the marine that the subject was not one he wanted to pursue, ever. Kaidan only nodded as he opened the passenger door and they all climbed in.

"Where are we going?" Bruce was still far from trusting Alenko as he took the seat next to the man in front. He was uncomfortable enough already, not being able to fly the craft himself. Add on top of that the fact they were trusting a complete stranger was not making the older man happy in the least.

"Would you believe it if I said the club we're heading to used to be owned by the Penguin? That's what Dick told me anyway when he recognized the place our first time there. It's changed since your day Mr. Wayne." Kaidan immediately regretted those words when he caught sight of Bruce's glare in the rearview mirror.

Oliver on the other hand had a giant smirk on his face, enjoying how easily Kaidan was getting under Bruce's skin without even trying. "That's it kid, I love it when people make him feel old, but I suppose I'm just as out of the know as he is right now."

"I doubt Cobblepot's old club has changed that much. The Iceberg Lounge as it was called 'in my day' probably still houses every thief, crook, and criminal in Gotham." Alenko didn't feel like pissing off a living legend anymore than he already had, so he let it drop. Besides, Wayne would see what he meant soon enough.

After a mostly tense silence, highlighted by a few bad jokes from Ollie, they landed near a brightly lit building. Having had the foresight to slip out of his hood on the way there, Oliver was just sitting back up after tucking his outfit underneath the back seat, was the second person to be surprised by what he saw. "You gotta be kidding me."

"Welcome to the Iceberg Lounge ladies and gentlemen, one of old Gotham's premiere historical landmarks!" The crowd out front definitely didn't seem the criminal sort if the little kids that were with some of the people were anything to go by. One of old Gotham's most infamous criminal hideouts had indeed changed dramatically over the past century and a half. It had been turned into a museum gallery. The irony wasn't lost on Bruce, given Cobblepot's 'collection' when he was still an active force in the criminal underworld.

"Bruce? Earth to Bruce? You okay buddy? Come on, let's go meet them!" Oliver gently tugged the man's shoulder to get his attention. "I'm worried too Bruce, but you can't know what he'll say or not unless you talk to him." With one more reassuring pat on the shoulder, Oliver headed towards the entrance. Wearing a fancy dress suit and tie always paid off in his experience, and despite having to do a double take as he got a good look at the alien door lady, Oliver saddled up to the blue skinned alien and smiled. "Good evening. Looking for a Richard Grayson."

"Ah, you must be the party of three I was told to expect. Mr. Arrow, Mr. Knight, and oh, hey Kaidan." Both men were a little surprised that the girl knew the marine, but the slight blush on Kaidan's face suggested something might have been going on between them. "I thought you had to leave for another month?"

"Well...I...eh..." Oliver was having a very hard time keeping a straight face because he recognized what was happening here all too well. If not for the extremely embarrassed look on Kaidan's face and the fact they were still outside amongst the crowd, he would have had a rather rough heart to heart talk with the man.

"He's been assigned to assist us on a new project. I'm sure you'll be seeing more of him soon." The suspicion that had started to appear on the asari's face disappeared, but one look at Bruce told Kaidan he wasn't off the hook just yet. The Dark Knight knew what the younger man had gotten himself into just as much as Oliver did, and if his partner didn't talk to the marine, Bruce planned to do it before the night was over.

The asari smiled and planted a soft kiss on the nervous Lt's cheek. "That's great! I'll call you...later. Well, please go right on in, your friends should be towards the back left corner. And welcome to the Iceberg Lounge." Bruce couldn't help the chill that went down his back at those parting words, but he was able to hide it as they walked through the all too familiar front doors of Cobblepot's old club. How many times had Batman staked this place out?

"Thanks for that-" Kaidan couldn't help looking embarrassed in front of the two notorious playboys. It was just his luck that Nashaira had to be working the front door tonight of all nights when two living legends all but dropped in on his life.

"Don't thank me yet." Bruce replied before the young man could even begin to finish that sentence. "You're going to have to explain to her eventually why you got cold feet. And don't try to play dumb with me Alenko, I've been there, but at least my affairs were honest." Bruce had never given a woman false hope, that's what made his affairs honest. It didn't help him sleep better at night, when he slept, but he never hurt anyone more than he absolutely had to. There was always the chance he didn't make it home from his outings as Batman, and he didn't want to leave a widow behind to answer questions she couldn't hope to answer.

Oliver grabbed Alenko's arm before they went any further into the club. Pulling him to a nearby corner, he made sure their eyes met so Kaidan didn't miss just how serious he was being. "He's got a point kid. Don't make the same mistakes I did. If you learned anything from doing your dissertation on me, then it's that I screwed up, badly, even before I wound up on that island." _Seeing Sarah's terrified gaze when the yacht split apart before she disappeared into the ocean still keeps me up at night._

Kaidan couldn't have felt worse about his messed up love life if the two men had told Nashaira about his indiscretion directly. Now he just wanted to change the subject as quickly as possible. "Um...right. So how should we handle this? Mind if I go over and talk to them first for you?"

"Good idea, might be less of a-" Oliver never got the chance to finish the thought as an all too familiar but sorely missed voice reached his ears.

The hushed whisper turned into a shout of joy in an instant. "_Ollie_? OLLIE?!" All Oliver saw was a gold tinged blur before the air was crushed from his lungs a fraction of a second later as Artemis literally ran into him and wrapped herself around the man's waist. "I can't believe it's you! You big, stupid, moron! What took you so damn long?!"

"Nice to see you too Arty...choking, not breathing!" He didn't mind all that much though as he hugged her back just as strongly, dimly realizing that she had gotten taller and stronger since the last time they had seen each other several months ago. _More than four years for her, and only several months for me. Sheesh this time dilation crap is going to give me a migraine._

"I don't care." A sobbing Artemis choked out as she pressed her face to his chest. Oliver would have been content to stand there the entire night if that was how long it took her to let go of him.

.

"I thought I saw on the news that Wayne Manor went up in flames before we got here, now I know why." Bruce was equally surprised by how much time had passed for Richard as he finally laid eyes on his adopted son again. He was almost as tall as he was now, and it was more than a little unsettling, but Bruce was quick to accept the facts as they were presented to him. That, and the fact he wasn't the only one that was shocked as the detective's eyes swept over Richard's surprised face.

Before he knew what was happening, Bruce had pulled him into one of the rare hugs he remembered receiving as a kid. "I'm sorry Dick, I found you as soon as I could."

"I always knew you would, eventually. You're not the world's greatest detective for nothing. Bending time and space, doesn't matter." Richard grinned even as crocodile tears fell from his eyes, unable to help it even if he wanted to.

Someone else pressed into the two of them a moment later as Bruce looked to see Megan smiling up at him. "I never thought I'd see you again." She seemed to only then realize she had intruded on a personal moment and started to back away. "Oh...sorry I-" Bruce just smiled back at her, moved an arm over, and hugged the grateful martian girl against him and Richard.

Oliver and Artemis had managed to pull away just as Connor walked up to the group, looking a little more broody than he remembered, but a small smile was still easy to see on the young clone's face. "It's good to see you and Bruce again Ollie."

"Hello Connor, it's good to see you." Seeing that the man in front of him wasn't exactly a hugger, Oliver shook his hand. There was no way he'd bring up anything related to Connor's own trial by fire, not if he wanted to keep his head attached to his shoulders anyway. "Hey Megan. Long time no see, what am I, chopped liver? You look good as a young woman I might add." Just like everyone else, M'gann had aged and matured. No longer the young girl he was used to seeing, Megan had grown her hair out and while he didn't like the more serious look on her face, both he and Bruce were adjusting to the changes everyone had undergone.

"Same old Oliver Queen. Laurel would be jealous. Oh, she doesn't even know you left? And you pushed Bruce through the portal?! How are you still breathing?" Artemis facepalmed herself as Megan read Oliver's mind like an open book without even having to try. That, and it didn't surprise her in the least that her old mentor had disappeared without a word to his girlfriend. "At least my uncle's alright, worried but alright...You blew up the only way back Bruce?!"

"They're all fine Megan, and missing you all. And...I wasn't the only one at fault in that. Oliver alerted the authorities when he decided to blow open a hole in the ground. I was covering our tracks the only way I knew how." Richard could only shake his head as Bruce explained what had happened. It was a typical habit of Oliver's to act impulsively at times. Even Connor had to smirk a little at the embarrassed look that came across Oliver's face.

"Why am I not surprised Ollie? After all, why would anyone do something slowly and safely when they could do it the Oliver Queen way?" Artemis just crossed her arms and glared at the man she was so incredibly happy to see. Even as her old feelings of annoyance started to resurface whenever he was around, she couldn't stop smiling at Ollie. He was the father figure she wished she had had growing up, post island solitude anyway.

"Hey, if you're gonna insult me...at least do a better job of it. Where's the 'You're a total moron Ollie!' or 'I'm so going to kill you for this Ollie!'. And if you want to get technical about it, we did find you four didn't we?"

"By blowing up the old mansion." Richard was quick to add in, earning himself a playful scowl from Oliver for his trouble.

"If you hadn't noticed because your eyesight must have gone bad between now and when we last met, I kind of grew up Ollie. And just so you know, I still think you're a moron, but you're my moron."

"Well, it _is _nice to be wanted." Pulling Artemis against his side, the younger archer didn't mind as she leaned into Ollie's side as his arm fell over her shoulders.

"That's odd...I really thought the two of you would be taller." Bruce and Oliver turned to see a stern faced woman holding a mortified Kaidan Alenko, whose hands were restrained behind his back. "Is this the dumbass who committed at least six crimes tonight and helped the two of you?"

"Yes ma'am..." Oliver had taken one look at Shepard's face and knew messing with her would be hazardous to his health. Bruce only smirked at the uncomfortable look on his partner's face but glared when he met Annabell's gaze, not nearly so easily intimidated.

"Good." Shepard removed the cuffs from Alenko's wrists, much to everyone's surprise and Kaidan's immense relief. "If you pull a stunt like that again for anyone other than...these two gentlemen, I will have you in the nearest brig before you can blink."

"Yes ma'am, thank you ma'am." As Kaidan tried to slip away, Anna grabbed his shoulder.

"Dick has been telling me lately that you and the asari outside are romantically involved; why don't you go be involved with her right now and get out of my sight. Oh, and thank you Lt. for helping these clueless jackasses." Bruce had to give this Shepard points for bravery. Few people that knew who he truly was would openly insult him. Bruce had no doubt in his mind that Richard had told Annabell who he was, having most likely not expected to make it home anytime soon, if ever, as Kaidan ran out of the club as if his ass was on fire. But not before grabbing a very curious Nashaira on his way out.

Richard meanwhile suddenly looked very uncomfortable as he looked between Anna and Bruce, unsure how he was going to explain the fix they were in. "I uh...haven't gotten a chance to tell him Anna, but well...it was the only way we could stay anywhere near her and her old man and..."

"Are you trying to tell me that one Lt. Com. Annabell Shepard is your Legal Guardian? I figured it out earlier Richard. It's alright, you did what you had to do to make it in this reality with people you trusted. I can tell that you mean a lot to each other, so it was more than simple need that motivated that decision." Bruce walked over to Anna and looked her in the eyes. "You took in my son and I can't thank you enough for that, but I'm going to try anyway. As soon as I've settled in and got my affairs in order, anything you need, it's yours."

"It was the right thing to do Mr. Wayne. I don't need anything from you, and you don't have to do a damn thing but be there for him." Anna held out her right hand and smiled as Bruce's hand enveloped her own. Despite the fact he was bigger than her, she proved she was stronger than she looked as she matched Bruce's strength with ease.

He had to raise an eyebrow at her surprising strength, but smiled a little wider as they shook. "Your adoptive father raised you well, but if you ever change your mind, the offer will always be there."

"And let me guess, her dad took you and Megan in? And I totally don't know that because I had a chance to look you up before...I helped burn Bruce's house down." Oliver said, earning an embarrassed glance from Megan and a slightly annoyed frown from Artemis. Green Arrow/the Hood jumped a little in surprise as he put the pieces together. "A step further than that? You're technically related? Do you two share a room and paint each other's toenails too? OOF!" He laughed despite the fact Artemis had sucker punched him in the stomach. "She must make for one hell of a little sister Megan, or is that the other way around? I always forget how old you are."

"We even share clothes sometimes Ollie! Oh...sorry Arty." Both Artemis and Oliver blushed in embarrassment at Megan's excited comment. "It hasn't always been good times though Oliver, Bruce. We've had to adjust a great deal since coming here. There has been a lot that's happened in these four years."

"Yeah, but talking about it in the Iceberg Lounge isn't my idea of a good night." Connor interrupted, but he put his hands on Megan's shoulders and sighed heavily, knowing he still had a bit of a long road ahead of him. "We take it one day at a time though, that's all we can do right?" Megan nodded silently at Connor's words. Bruce had a feeling he would want to keep whatever horrors Connor had been put through away from Clarke for as long as possible.

"Hey, don't _I _get a hug, at least from you two?" Anna looked sharply at Connor and Dick, having been all but ignored by her two legal charges. "It's true what they say...having kids sucks... oh no, too late now, don't even bother." Shepard couldn't help smirking at a grinning Dick and a guilty looking Connor walked over to her.

"I can still punch you into next week Anna." He tried to come off as tough to hide his guilt, but Anna wasn't buying it for an instant. Besides, legal guardian, parent, or whatever, it didn't matter to Annabell as she put an arm on both of their shoulders without a second thought.

"I won our last fight if I remember correctly Connor. I will say you had a pretty good teacher though, Black Canary would be happy to know that. I just won't mention you still have the hots for her." Not that she would ever admit it in public, but Connor wasn't the only one that had a thing for the sonic screamer. Bruce and Oliver weren't sure if they wanted to laugh or frown at where the conversation had turned so quickly, while Artemis and Megan only sighed. Dick and Connor meanwhile were blushing crimson at where things had turned towards.

"Do you have a place where we can talk Commander Shepard? I'd like to get caught up to speed as quickly as possible so I can at least figure out what our next step should be." Any other day Richard would have complained about his father's need to be in control of a given situation, but he was just happy to have him by his side again. Besides, if they had crossed through dimensions and time itself to get here, they'd need to get a bridge connected to their old reality as soon as possible, preferably before Oliver ended up dead from driving Bruce insane.

"_Having those two in the same room is going to be bad for the rest of us."_ M'gann had to look elsewhere at the wink she received from Anna, biting her tongue to stop herself from laughing. "My apartment is nice and quiet Mr. Wayne. Why don't we all head back there?" It sounded like a good plan to Bruce, and it was quickly decided that was the best idea they had anyway. Shepard led them out of the club and paused only a moment on her way to the landing area to sneak a quick glimpse of a certain Alliance officer and asari making out in a nearby park. "Nicely done Lt, I knew you had it in you. Okay, everyone pile on in. Queen, I see that look on your face. If you 'accidentally' touch my ass you won't be shooting a bow _ever _again."

"Sorry Shep, but you're not my type anyway. Too manly. Besides, I already have a girl waiting for me back home." Oliver only realized he had signed his death warrant after the words were out of his mouth.

"Why you little shit! Put me down Megan, I'm just gonna rip his balls off, that's all." Shepard was only a couple inches off the ground, but it was enough for her not to get anywhere fast as she floated just out of reach of her target. "Fine...I'll only kick him in the balls, that better?"

Oliver was horrified when M'gann shrugged her shoulders and let Anna down. "Sorry, that's the best offer she's probably going to give you after _that _comment."

"I think you've rubbed off on her Dick." Bruce said as he followed his son into the backseat of what he assumed was Shepard's vehicle, amused looks on both of their faces as they watched Oliver do his best to run for his life from Anna. Bruce was a little surprised that she easily vaulted up and over a fence much in the same way Artemis herself might have done. "I see someone's been teaching her new tricks."

"Heh, you should see her throw a batarang sometime." They watched as Shepard landed on the other side of the fence and used her biotics to paralyze Queen as he tried to get away only to end up face first in a puddle of mud. "Ouch...that had to hurt. Should we help him?"

"No." It wasn't that Bruce was enjoying getting to see Ollie get his ass whooped so much as, well actually it was exactly that. "He'll live. Probably." Even then he could see Connor, Artemis, and Megan giving chase and knew that they'd stop her before things got too far out of hand, if they did anyway. He doubted Anna would do anything that would last for more than a few hours anyway. Bruce knew the criminal mind better than anyone, and while he had seen some emotional scars behind her eyes, she didn't strike him as truly dangerous. Lethal in a fight perhaps, but only when all other options had failed would she resort to violence.

The detective was proven correct a moment later when Anna seemed to be ready to tear Oliver a new asshole, but started laughing at his disheveled state and helped him up instead. "You love it when you're right don't you?" Richard smirked at the little smile that crossed Bruce's face.

"Sometimes." He admitted, but there had been times that he hadn't liked the answers he came across during his investigations. When Megan returned with Connor by her side before they jumped in the front seat together, Shepard, Artemis, and Ollie having taken the other vehicle, another puzzle was answered for Bruce as the 'vehicle' turned out to be a martian shuttle as the interior changed right before his eyes. "New ship Megan?"

"Oh this? This is...another long story. Shepard has the other one." Megan blushed as she put her hands on the control orbs attached to her chair, connecting her mind directly to the ship's controls before they lifted off. When he had asked about the shuttle, Bruce didn't miss the distant look in her eyes in the rearview mirror above her head which disappeared as the transformation completed a moment later. The exterior he noted remained unchanged, making him wonder what else this bio-shuttle was capable of as Megan followed the 'shuttle' in front of them.

"It's a long story Ollie, and it's not a good one either." Artemis said when Oliver had asked a similar question about the ship Shepard was currently piloting thanks to it having changed its controls to a type she was familiar with. "Maybe M'gann will tell you about it one day, but I wouldn't push her."

"That bad huh?" Oliver's eyes flicked to the shuttle behind them for a moment as his gaze returned to the younger archer next to him. He rarely saw her so vulnerable as she was right then as she replied a moment later.

"Very bad, like you on that island bad, so yeah, best not to bring it up, ever." It was one event that Artemis wish she hadn't been a part of at the time. Not just for what had happened to Connor, but for how it had forever emotionally scarred M'gann at the same time. Even Anna hadn't come out of that mess completely unscathed, and she was one of the strongest people Artemis knew. "Let's just say it was a disaster all the way around and leave it at that."

"She's right Mr. Queen. I strongly suggest you never speak of this again unless M'gann brings up the subject, and I don't see that happening in your lifetime." The look in Anna's eyes as she glanced at him a moment over her shoulder made her statement totally redundant.

"And what about your own 'island experience' Shepard? I think I saw something about a colony world?" Oliver had seen the emotional scars just as easily as Bruce had. He hadn't meant any harm by asking, but he should have known he wouldn't get an answer.

Anna involuntarily jerked the controls to the right when Oliver had the gall to ask about that touchy and very personal subject. It took only a second for her to correct her course, but they had still noticed the effect his question had had on her. "You still want that kick to the balls? Keep talking and it's yours, free of charge. Needless to say, that's something else that's off limits Mr. Queen."

"Jesus Ollie, do you still have a death wish?! I thought Helena had beaten that out of you already." Artemis just huffed in irritation and shook her head. Ollie was just as dense as she remembered.

Anna perked up at the not so surprising info that Oliver Queen had managed to piss yet another woman off. "This Helena, she beat him up? ...I like her already."

"She's someone that ended up turning into a class A bitch after Oliver tried to show her a better way of dispensing justice to the scum of Starling City. Instead, she took what he tried to show her to a dark place and twisted it to her own ends."

"It was a mistake, alright? And if I remember, you turned out alright Arty. Diggle would have loved to hear me admit that though." That whole mess had thankfully been almost two years ago now, otherwise Oliver wouldn't have been so eager to talk about that particular subject involving the Huntress.

"Well she has a few rough edges...okay shutting up now." Even Anna Shepard knew to take a death glare from Artemis Lian Anderson seriously.

"She used to run with me and my little crew Anna, that's more my fault than her own." Oliver grinned as he rubbed the back of his head in mild embarrassment as Artemis shot him her death glare next. "In all seriousness, thanks for looking out for her and the others Shepard. They couldn't have asked for better folks than you and Anderson. I only wish I had been smart enough to do that myself when I first took her under my wing." He looked towards Artemis, whose death glare had instantly changed to one of shock and guilt. "Hey don't give me that look, you were a victim of bad circumstances and I could see you weren't happy even as you tried to shoot me. And hey, it felt good to kick Sportsmaster's ass because I got you out of his hands. Your sister I could do without though, but she's got a good heart at least, somewhere under that mask she wears."

"Ollie..." Artemis was utterly surprised by the older archer's words, having never expected them in the least. "You changed my life...you have _nothing_ to be sorry for. I might not have been happy about it at the time, but you pulled me off of the path I was on before I became lost. One out of two apprentices isn't bad at least." Ollie only smiled and pulled her close against his side again, knowing that her attempt at humor was just her way to hide how she truly felt.

Anna had remained silent throughout their entire conversation and knew that despite all of his own sarcasm and almost perpetual bullshit, Oliver Queen truly was a good man. _Ok so he's tolerable, I can deal with tolerable._

"Mr. Queen, Oliver; she really is a good kid. They all are, and I'm glad you got her out of her father's clutches before she wound up dead or worse. You didn't fail her, or the people of your city. No matter how rough things get, always hold onto that single irrefutable fact." The solemn but sincere tone that Anna had in her voice was far more of an attention grabber than the words themselves, but regardless, Oliver could only nod as he saw this woman in an entirely new light.

As a grin appeared on his lips Artemis saw a very familiar look on Ollie's face and growled a quiet whisper in his ear. "Don't even think about it!" Oliver just tried to appear as confused and innocent as possible as shrugged at her.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Arty." He knew that she had seen right through his bullshit and just smirked. Some things would never change, no matter how long they'd been apart.

"Uh huh...yeah right. Don't. You've been warned." Artemis continued to stare at the man until he finally gave in and looked out the window instead of taking in Anna.

"Should I pretend the two of you aren't talking about me? Don't worry Arty, he's definitely not my type, too girly. I like my men masculine, not prancing around in a green skirt and hood." Anna was mildly disappointed when Queen just smirked at her, and showed no sign of anger or embarrassment whatsoever.

"Someone has a sharper tongue than you Arty? I don't think this reality can survive." Artemis and Shepard both only rolled their eyes at the man's comment.

After a few more minutes of flight, they had reached the edge of town, and Oliver couldn't help the frown that crossed his face, as the building they 'pulled into' was falling apart. It wasn't until they were safely inside did the truth come out. "Very clever. I see the 'shuttle' isn't the only thing that's new." To sum it up, the inside was far different than the outside.

"One of Dick's lessons, although I guess it'd really be yours Mr. Wayne. Sometimes the best way to hide is to do it in plain sight." Anna said as she hopped out of the martian shuttle into the frigate sized martian Bio-ship they were now currently standing in. "Certainly beats the hell out of her old Bio-ship, but I get the feeling she still misses that one."

"Welcome to my home Bruce, Oliver. Sorry, Anna insisted on surprising you. I think you'll both be quite comfortable here, if you need a place to stay that is." M'gann said as the rest of the group joined the two older heroes, again startling Bruce and Oliver with how much everyone had changed.

"Thank you M'gann, but I at least don't plan to bother you any longer than I have to." It wasn't anything against the martian. Bruce just didn't like to impose on anyone's hospitality, having been used to taking care of himself for most of his life. "I can't speak for Oliver of course." He wasn't even going to try to make sense of the archer's plans, if he even had any.

"Well, since I didn't exactly plan ahead like Bruce did-" He should have known someone would add in their two cents, and Oliver wasn't surprised it was his protege.

"What a shock." Artemis just shook her head at his arrogance. It didn't phase or surprise her in the least that Ollie would have spontaneously done something as stupid as traveling to another dimension/time without a plan, or even a few ideas scribbled on a cocktail napkin.

"-I'd appreciate a place to stay for a while M'gann. But since you want to be a pain in the neck Arty, you could always help get me set up. I wonder how much some of our stuff would get us in this reality?"

"There's a pretty big market for old Earth artifacts among the aliens of this reality Ollie. Even that suit and tie of yours would fetch you a pretty penny." Dick was quick to add in as he pulled up a nearby planet's address that had a museum for old Earth artifacts on the orange holographic device on his right arm. Bruce raised an eyebrow at the advance piece of technology but didn't ask about it just yet. "Here we are, there's a grand opening on the Citadel for a new museum funded by the Sirta Foundation in a few days. They have a good stock of artifacts already, but they're always looking for more. I bet if they got their hands on your Hood, you'd be in the hundred thousand credit range overnight."

A smile on Oliver's face belied the dark look in his eyes. Needless to say, his Hood was off limits. "Over your dead body Dick."

"It was just an idea, geez someone is overly protective of their costume. Your suit and tie would still be worth quite a bit on its own since no one uses silk, cotton, or any of our old clothing materials we're familiar with. Everything's synthetic fibers and advanced polymers these days."

"I'll think it over...okay I'm done, sure thing. Besides, Bruce is going to need all the dinero he can get after blowing up our ride." When Bruce started to stalk over towards him he amended his statement. "Okay, we _we_ blew it up."

"Want me to hold him for you Wayne? I would love to see a demo of those notorious ass kicking skills." A dark blue glow surrounded Oliver a moment later, startling both men more than a little until Anna facepalmed herself for not realizing it sooner as she released the archer almost immediately. "It's called biotics, it's...complicated. Please stop looking at me like I'm the villian of the week or something. It's unnerving, especially coming from you."

Oliver turned around and stared at Shepard for a moment, making her feel even worse. "I, for one, am utterly terrified of you now. Just kidding. I've seen this little blue glowy show already, that Lt What's His Name with the hot blue girlfriend." Seeing that the woman still looked mildly embarrassed, Oliver decided to cheer her up. "Want to know when I figured out you were worth trusting?" Anna wanted to hit herself for nodding her head just a bit too quickly. "Relax Shep, and the answer is, it was before I even met you. Bruce and I were able to read up on you guys a bit before the minor...accident. What you did for Artemis on Elysium...I can never repay that."

"I wasn't the only one fighting that day Mr. Queen, nor am I the only one that deserves your praise because they've saved my ass plenty of times along the way. I wouldn't be here if not for them." Connor, M'gann, Artemis, and Dick all blushed or looked a little uncomfortable at the woman's praise, but they managed to smile at least a little bit because of it.

"We have time for you to explain everything." Bruce said simply, and despite the serious tone to his voice, Anna could tell he was happy to be able to say that now that he was back with his son. "As for me being bothered in the least by your abilities...if Richard has told you anything about me Commander Shepard, it's that I've always been a technical genius. How else do you think I made such a successful career out of my night life? I could have used something like that; it must come in handy." The smirk on his face put Anna at ease, even if it didn't reach his intense looking eyes.

"Let's go up to the living area, I'll be happy to explain everything Mr. Wayne. We all would." They owed them that much, despite the fact that some of what Anna at least had to share wouldn't be easy to understand at first most likely.

As they all followed her to the crew living quarters, Oliver managed to end up next to Richard, much to his discomfort. "Personally, I'm not interested in daring do or cool tech at the moment. I want to know about _you _and Artemis." Dick couldn't help a slight shiver at the look in Oliver Queen's eyes as he smiled wolfishly at the younger man. A look from Bruce stopped the older archer from pressing the issue because he was just as curious about the story they likely had to share anyway.

Right behind her overprotective boyfriend and mentor, Artemis decided to step in before Ollie forced her to hurt him. "That's exactly what we had in mind stupid. The tech and 'daring do' is just added crap. Besides, once we start, it'd probably be a good idea not to interrupt. Some of it was...pretty harrowing." Artemis' harsh words had softened by the time she got to the end, and no one had to be a mind reader to know that her advice was most likely well founded, especially if the looks on the young team's faces were anything to go by.

"Nice digs...is that a record player? Okay who's the one with actual taste?" Anna raised her hand, much to Ollie's surprise. "Will you marry me?"

"Not for all the creds in the world, or my own ship for that matter." Anna just crossed her arms and smirked widely at the deflated look on the man's face.

"Damn...well I guess I won't be getting you one for your birthday now. Mind if I take a look?" Anna nodded her head as he motioned towards her record collection.

"Scratch them and you're dead, otherwise knock yourself out." He didn't doubt that she was being very serious as he pulled a record off of the shelf after figuring out how to deactivate the hard light shield that kept the records from tumbling about when the ship was in flight, nodding his approval at the woman's tastes.

"Oh...why must she be the perfect woman..." Oliver muttered to himself as he looked over a pristine Beatles record.

"Should I tell him I have all of those on my omni-tool?" Anna asked Dick, keeping her voice low so Oliver didn't overhear her after she had joined the young man by Bruce's side.

"Nah, let him worry that you'd plaster his guts all over the wall if he did scratch one of your records." Connor's ears twitched as he heard what the two were talking about, making it hard for the clone to keep a straight face.

"What is it with you Anna and old stuff? I'm still confused why you like those scratchy sounding huge music...things." Artemis asked, still confused by the marine's fascination by the old records.

"Considering I'm hanging with heroes, some of whom I'm practically raising, from more than a hundred and fifty years ago, you tell me?" Connor felt a blush spread over his cheeks when her question really sank in. "That's my bright boy." Connor's blush got much worse as Anna gave him a peck on the cheek; he wouldn't be living this down for months. M'gann covered her mouth and stifled the giggle that wanted to escape her at the look on her boyfriend's face.

"Um...I should go..." M'gann grabbed the mortified boy's arm before he could make good on his escape, and dragged him over to one of the room's couches. The moment they sat down, the couch shifted to contour and form to their bodies, making it even more comfortable in the process. Bruce only raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he watched the 'furniture' shift and move of its own accord.

Trying his best to ignore the foolish antics going on around him, Bruce quietly caught Richard's attention. "Mind if we talk in private?" Seeing the good time his friends were having with Ollie, Dick just nodded his head as he led Bruce to the ship's mess. The older man found himself doing something he rarely ever did, he hesitated. "I almost don't know what to ask you first..."

Desperately trying to break the ice, Richard poked a little fun at his adoptive father. "You aren't going senile are you, old man? It's _only _been about four years."

Even though Dick only got a glower in return for his humor, Bruce secretly enjoyed the idea that the now young man wasn't as intimidated by him anymore. "This 'old man' can still beat you every time _kid_. Now, let's talk. I'm not going anywhere."

"That's the best news I've heard in almost four years." Dick replied, smiling honestly as he got a couple trays of food for the both of them. It'd be nice to just relax and actually catch up, something he had given up on ever happening again until today.

"Really? I'm fine taking second place to Artemis." Bruce had to grin at the sudden blush on his son's face.

"So you know about that too huh? Let me guess, the first battle of the Blitz?" It was the only one that Dick could think of that had made headlines galaxy wide, so it'd make sense that would be the one that Bruce would have seen first.

"I might have stumbled on that headline; why am I not surprised that Artemis had you bent over instead of the other way around?" Bruce tried not to show how humorous he thought the picture had been, he had only brought it up to see the look on Dick's face at that moment.

"She's aggressive...you should know that." Dick was trying very hard not to blush a darker shade of red that he was already and failing miserably. "Ok fine, she caught me by surprise when reinforcements showed up and we heard we had won the day. Forty-three hours of block by block fighting against the largest raiding party I've ever heard of or seen first hand. I'd rather take on Queen Bee's troops again than deal with that."

The thought of everything Dick had been forced to do without his help suddenly hit Bruce like a ton of bricks. "I'm proud of everything you've accomplished here...I just realized I never told you that as much as I should have." The sincerity in Bruce's voice was impossible to miss, and it made Dick happier than he knew he could ever feel to hear it.

"You didn't have to. I might have appreciated to actually hear it more, but I could tell easily enough after a while Bruce. Besides, you've always been the strong silent broody type." That customary grin might have matured a bit, but Bruce enjoyed seeing it again, to see Richard again, healthy and whole. He hadn't realized just how much he had truly missed his son until now.

"I'm not broody...well, maybe a little." It wasn't until twenty minutes later as they talked and shared a meal that Bruce realized he felt truly relaxed for the first time in ages. They talked about inconsequential things sure, but he didn't mind one bit since it felt good to reconnect with Richard again. He wasn't going to waste this second chance that fate had granted him.

_Closing Notes; Archer83; We know that was certainly different from the rest of the chapters so far, but we have something interesting planned... Along with everything we've shown or hinted at in this chapter we have A LOT of surprises coming your way... Thank you for reading and please feel free to leave a review! _

_Vergil1989; Indeed, what my protege said. :P Joking aside, I too hope you've enjoyed this change of pace guys and gals. Next time on LY, we visit a few of our hinted story arcs and answer many questions along the way._


	9. Open Minded

**Chapter 9; Open Minded**

**Silversun Strip District, Anderson's Apartment. Citadel Station.**

**May 21st, 2178**

**09:17 GST**

It was just another day at the apartment as far as Anna Shepard was concerned. "Can someone shut that music off already?" Dick grumbled from the workbench he was situated at, earning a playful scowl from Anna as she flicked the switch to the stereo system. "Sheesh, never thought I'd say this Shepard, but if I have to listen to Sweet Home Alabama again, I'm going to go nuts."

"Sorry Dick, one of the guys in the shuttle was blaring it the entire way down to the planet. Luckily it was a fifteen minute trip from the _Bastogne_, but I was ready to knock the guy's head off by then. Now I can't get it out of my damn head." Sitting in one of the chairs that were situated around the gym/workshop area that Dick and Artemis had set up, Anna sighed in contentment, glad to be back home. "So, what did I miss while I was away?"

"Oh, the usual. Kaldur and Garrus stopped by a few times, we even got K drunk once...good times. M'gann tried to pass herself off as you to get us to cheer up, but it didn't work too well. She could never get your glare right. And you were smiling _way _too often...creeped us out until she told us." Anna had stopped tinkering with a few of the boy's gadgets when Dick used the odd nickname for the Atlantean, but simply shrugged it off as one of the many things she still didn't know about them.

"_He never calls Kaldur just K, but it's probably just a nickname I've never heard is all. Didn't one of the guys from MIB have that same name?" _With Dick's fascination with anything sci-fi, old, new, or otherwise, it wasn't a far stretch as to where that nickname would have come from. It just made Anna smirk when she figured it out. "So do I get to call you D there Bird Boy?"

"I can always make a neuralizer you know." Dick grinned as he looked up from whatever he was working on. There was too much stuff in the way to get a proper look but she wasn't really all that concerned anyway. He was always tinkering with something or other.

"Keep making idle threats there Dick. We both know I can kick your ass in a fight." They shared a good natured laugh since there was no way she'd harm a hair on his head and the feeling was mutual.

David had walked over and with a raised eyebrow, decided to comment on the project the two of them had been working on while Anna was away. "Still bothering my daughter I see...you should get some rest Anna."

"Awww, I don't wanna." Anna pouted playfully but nodded her agreement a moment later, especially when a yawn started to escape her. "Sheesh, fine...maybe you have a point dad. I didn't exactly get a lot of sleep the last few weeks. Between running patrols and dealing with what was on Akuze, no one really got a lot of rest. Thank god those jackass marines only busted their main comms array. I prefer boring over...excitement."

"Gotta agree with you on that one Annabell; you can go rest if you want. I can show you the rest of this later. What the hell!" Dick and Anderson both about jumped out of their skins when something rather big and imposing popped up behind Shepard.

A loud hiss behind Anna told her what had likely startled both of them. "Hi M'gann..." Turning around, Anna rolled her eyes at the 'Alien' who crossed her arms over her chest before shrinking back down to her regular height.

"Awww, how'd you know it was me?" M'gann asked, earning an unimpressed look from the marine. She blushed and tried to hide her embarrassment, but Anna only shook her head and smirked a little wider.

"You have to be more original, or at least stop pulling the same gag all the time. If you want to scare me try...nope forget it, no way in hell I'm giving you free intel to use against me." Anna still gave the martian points for the looks she had seen on Dick and David's faces though. "_Damn...I should have taken a pic of them while I had the chance."_

"What's the matter Anna? Don't want us to get the upper hand on ya?" Artemis asked from the balcony above, that customary smirk easy to see even from the gym door as Shepard and Dick left the gym together.

"In a word, yes. In two words, hell yes. Besides, I highly doubt that will be happening this century. You can just say you missed me by the way Arty." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Anna knew that Artemis would have a snappy comeback ready to go and today was no different. "_Sheesh I missed her, hell, I missed them all._"

"Where's the fun in that?" Artemis replied, making Shepard shake her head again although it didn't take a mind reader to see that the archer had missed her.

A loud, eerily familiar laugh _did_ manage to make Shepard jump a moment later. "Dammit Garrus! Would you stop with the stupid Predator impression already? You're gonna give a girl a heart attack, or get a bullet to the face. Purely by accident of course...at least that's what C-Sec would think."

"I believe she is no doubt capable of carrying out that threat Garrus. It would be wise to abandon your attempts to sneak up on her." Garrus just sighed and give Kaldur an incredulous look.

"You're going to be _such_ a fun partner, I can tell already. Hmm...maybe I could still ask to be reassigned..." The frown on the young Atlantean's face was proof of the fact he still didn't always get Garrus's sense of humor. "By the spirits...I'm kidding! I haven't even made a dent in that humorless head of your's have I?"

"Good luck with that." Dick motioned to Artemis and M'gann as he grinned at the turian. "We've known him for years and I still can't get him to make one dirty joke." No one found that very surprising given Kaldur's personality. He was one of the most stoic and emotionally stable people they knew.

"What did the asari say to the hanar? Those aren't very genticles." Everyone was momentarily stunned then when Kaldur finished his little deadpan 'joke.'

Anna was the first to be able to speak, after she picked her jaw up off the floor. "Oh my god...you just made a joke didn't you? And a slightly rude one at that... Come here you overly polite bastard!" The grin on Anna's face was all the incentive Kaldur needed to run for his life. "Kaldur...did I ever tell you that I hate running?" With only a trace amount of guilt, Anna wrapped the fleeing young man in a Stasis field before he got too far. He hadn't even gotten out of the living room before the Atlantean was stopped in his tracks. "Don't worry, this will all be over soon." Shepard walked over and lightly pecked him on the cheek before releasing the now thoroughly embarrassed teen.

"I find your need to constantly cheat tiring." Kaldur replied, rubbing the back of his neck as his cheeks slowly turned back to a normal shade of brown. "Despite this, it is good to have you back Anna."

"Come on, stick around Sea Man. I'm going to order some chin-" A massive explosion suddenly ripped through the apartment as the floor to ceiling windows shattered inward, raining shards of glass on all of them. Their bad day was only beginning however as three vehicles full of heavily armed troops stopped in front of the shattered windows before the doors opened. "Get to cover!"

Shepard felt pure rage fill her heart as she saw with tear filled eyes Artemis lying choking on the floor, her throat having been slashed open by the flying glass. Anna pulled her out of the line of fire, and tried to reassure her, but before she could say a word the light left the young archer's eyes.

There was no time to mourn as the attackers didn't immediately pour inside the apartment, but instead started firing right from the vehicles with assault rifles, filling the air with mass accelerated rounds. Garrus was the first to go down, pumped full of holes before he could even begin to run for cover like the rest of them. Kaldur attempted to use his Water Bearers, he even managed to form a water construct shield and sword, but a single round from a sniper rifle ended the young man's life before he got three steps.

"Kaldur!" M'gann had already ran over to the fallen Atlantean and futilely checked for a pulse on his neck. With rounds still filling the air, it'd only be a matter of time before the martian got shot too.

"M'gann, get behind something goddamn it!" Shepard watched in horror as David roughly grabbed the girl, only for the both of them to take a burst of fire in the back a moment later. That left Dick and herself, and their odds were not in their favor. Glowing a dark blue, Anna growled in the back of her throat as she Lifted the nearest of the attacking soldiers and threw him through the front door with a flick of her wrist. A Barrier appeared around her as she charged forward, her hands clenched into bloodless fists. It was clear what Anna had in mind, but Dick was having none of it.

"I'm not leaving you behind Annabell!" Dick had already lost most of his family today, he'd be damned if he lost the rest. Throwing several explosive batarangs ahead of him, at least one of the vehicles was damaged enough that it fell to the city street below as Richard ran to Anna's side.

"This isn't the fucking time to play hero Richard! GO!" Any chance of escape was soon dashed as more armored men started running into the room from the hall outside. Having since taken a knee under the barrage of fire she was absorbing, Anna could do nothing as a rocket launcher was brought to bear on them both. "NO!" Anna reached for Dick at the last instant before she was thrown across the room by the explosion, her Barrier collapsing violently around them. She was spared most of the blast, but Richard had been in the epicenter of both 'explosions'. Needless to say, there wasn't much left of him when the smoke cleared.

"Help me Anna, god it hurts, please help me!" He shouldn't have lived, but was somehow still clinging to life, even as blood gushed out of too many wounds to count. "I'm scared..." The horrible whisper was somehow loud enough to bounce around in Shepard's head as she crawled over to him and tried to comfort him. There was no way he'd die alone.

Anna could only hold the bloody boy in her arms as the life slowly quickly drained from him. Looking up as she felt the barrel of a gun against her head, Anna didn't blink as she watched the soldier start to pull the trigger. "Just tell me why." The cold hard edge in her voice would have chilled anyone's blood, no matter how strong willed they considered themselves.

"Because I can." The helmeted man said with an almost gleeful sound to his voice as he pulled the trigger, making Anna's world go black.

"_This is just the beginning. What fun we will have Annabell..."_

Jerking awake in the chair she had apparently fallen asleep in, Anna shook her head and saw Dick working away on something at his workbench. "_Oh thank christ! What a horrible fucking nightmare..." _She just needed some air to clear her head. Some real air...

"Can someone shut that music off already?" As soon as Anna started to rise, she stopped when she heard Dick say that exact line, and she could hear Sweet Home Alabama coming from a speaker nearby. "_No, it's just some really bad deja vu."_ She needed to lay off the tacos before she went to bed.

"I got it Dick." There, it was different, there was no way things would play out the same way.

"Sheesh, never thought I'd say this Shepard, but if I have to listen to Sweet Home Alabama again, I'm going to go nuts." No, it was just a dream. There was no way in Hell that big of a force of mercs or soldiers could sneak past the Citadel security forces and counter measures.

"Guys...you're going to think I'm nuts, but let's go out for some food. Right now." Dick looked up towards Anna and wondered what had gotten into her.

"You really have a bad memory. We just went yesterday, when you got back, remember? Hey, you'll never guess what happened while you were gone. We went out with Garrus and Kaldur and we actually-"

"Got 'K' drunk? You told me this already Dick." Anna hoped she wasn't grasping at straws as she again tried to change her 'dream' by addressing the whole 'K' bit early. She had a very bad feeling however that things weren't going to be that simple.

"That's funny, I swear I didn't tell you...oh I get it, Artemis just wanted to steal my thunder right?" Dick grinned as he looked back down to the project he was working on.

"Someone say my name? This better be good." Artemis curiously poked her head out from the balcony above as she looked down to see a worried looking Anna exit the workshop. "You look like shit Anna."

"Thanks for the words of encouragement there Arty. I just had the strangest dream though and it freaked me out a little more than I'd like to admit. You ever have a bad case of deja vu? I mean really bad, like Groundhog Day bad?" It was the best example she could come up with on the fly, and even as the words left her mouth, Anna knew she sounded nuts.

"What's wrong? Artemis is right, you don't look well at all. You should get some rest Annabell." Maybe some rest would be good? Her father's words were at least a comfort even if Anna couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, and terribly so at that. Shaking her head as she started to head upstairs, she stopped cold when the front door opened. Her eyes became big as saucers when she saw Garrus and Kaldur standing in her living room.

A loud hiss behind her was the last straw as she jerked around and grabbed M'gann by the throat. She was against the wall before either of them knew what was happening, and Anna gasped in shock as she came back to reality. Letting the martian go, who was much more upset than hurt over the assault, Shepard started pulling her towards the front exit. "That's it! Something weird is going on and we're leaving! Now!"

"_I won't make it that easy for you Annabell..."_

The strange voice startled Shepard for only a moment before she ignored it, and grabbed Dick and Artemis as they ran over to her. "What the hell Shepard?! Will someone explain to me what's going on?!" The moment they got to the front door though, it locked of its own accord, trapping everyone inside. "Ok now I'm freaking out." Artemis said as Anna tried to hack the door controls, only to find her omni-tool wasn't functioning properly.

"Can they do that?! Can someone remotely block an omni-tool?!" Dick wasn't too thrilled by the prospect as he tried his, only to come up with the same result. "Nothing but static. Oh this is totally whelming."

"Everyone just calm down, I'm sure...that I'm going to let Shepard do whatever she wants to..." The dark look in her eyes told Garrus not to even try talking sense into the marine as a dark blue glow covered her from head to foot.

"Stand back, I'm knocking that damn door off of its tracks if I have to." Anna's biotically assisted punch should have sent the door tumbling down the hallway and possibly out of the far wall of the corridor, but she didn't even leave a dent behind where her hand had touched the metal. "That's not possible! That's just not fucking possible!"

"_How dull. I can do this all day. Let's get to the interesting part shall we? I believe you're expecting guests..."_

"Get down!" Anna tossed the three teens into cover as she pushed Anderson, Kaldur, and Garrus away from the windows. "Listen, I know you think I'm crazy but...wait...they should be here by now. Oh god...am I really going insane?" The thought was more than a little frightening to consider.

"_Not yet, but I plan to drag you there, bit...by bit."_

"Get out of my head!" Anna growled, hoping the bastard would show himself, provided he was real anyway.

"Wait what? Guys?! It couldn't be...him right?" M'gann asked, having a bad feeling she knew who was messing with Anna's mind, if that was indeed the case. Peeking her head over the railing before wiping her eyes on her sleeve, M'gann was about to say something more when a single small hole appeared between her eyes as small shards of glass fell harmlessly to the floor from where the sniper round had entered the room.

"No! You sick bastard!" Anna screamed as she slid over to the fallen alien girl who had died before hitting the floor. "SHOW YOURSELF!" She shouted at the top of her lungs even as more gunfire started to fill the living room.

Once again, despite her best efforts, a horrified Shepard was forced to watch everyone around her die. Just like last time, she was by Richard's side as he bled out in her arms, this time from taking half a dozen rounds to the chest because he had been too slow to get inside her Barrier. In a way, it was worse than last time as she didn't even bother to look up to the gunman that came for her last.

Anna jerked awake in her bed, hand clutched to her chest as she gasped for air. Quickly realizing she must have had a terribly vivid nightmare, she walked out of her room into the quiet and empty apartment. "Everyone must be out, or something. Oh thank god." She had 'woken' up by the wall in Richard's workshop and gym the last two times, not in her own bed, so this had to be real.

Checking her omni-tool, Anna smirked to herself as she saw that it was working just fine. Going to her ExtraNetflix account, she quickly deleted any movies that were even remotely similar to Groundhog Day off of her list of instant ques and breathed a little easier. "Never watching that shit again. And if someone starts playing "I Got You, Babe," I'll shoot em." Joking aside, she really hoped that that particular song didn't start playing, or Sweet Home Alabama for that matter.

"You are going to shoot someone for playing music, Anna?" Shepard wasn't proud of the yelp that came out of her mouth as M'gann caught her attention. The martian had been in the process of wiping the sleep from her eyes until she heard Anna yelp. "Hmmm? Did I step on your toe by accident?"

"Huh? Oh, no no, sorry M'gann. Guess I'm a bit jumpy after having a very bad nightmare." It was the truth and she didn't want to worry the martian anymore than she was likely to be worried anyway. Anna managed a small smile as she leaned on the balcony's glass railing, glad to have her family safe and sound.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but you're alright now Anna. As you said, it was only a bad dream." M'gann put a gentle hand on Anna's shoulder while the experienced marine pondered the fact that the young girl was comforting _her_ for once. She wasn't complaining though as she pulled M'gann against her side and only smiled a little more warmly, glad for the young martian's presence.

A wry smirk appeared on Anna's lips as she hugged the girl. "Thanks M'gann, want to look in my closet and under my bed for me while you're at it?" Shepard had to close her eyes and shake her head as the martian cheerily nodded her head and started towards the woman's room. "M'gann...that was a joke."

She stopped in the doorway to Anna's room and blushed when she heard Shepard say so. "Oh...hello Megan!" Anna just shook her head again as she watched M'gann lightly tap the front of her forehead with the palm of her hand. "I always seem to mess up when someone says something sarcastic don't I?"

"Ah it could be worse hun. Don't worry, you'll get it one of these days." Anna reassured M'gann, having closed the distance between them so they were face to face again. "In the meantime though, the rest of us get to have fun at your expense."

"_I'd like to have some fun at her expense as well Annabell..."_

Shepard's smirk fell away in an instant as the same voice invaded her mind. M'gann must have heard it as well however as she jerked her gaze towards where she 'felt' the voice originate from. "He's here. Psimon!" Shepard was sure that whoever this Psimon was, he was bad news if the terror on M'gann's face was anything to go by.

"Hello Megan! Or is that M'gann? I always forget which mask you prefer." One of the strangest men Anna had ever seen walked into a brighter section of the living room below. It wasn't his pale sickly looking skin that caught her attention. It was the fact the top of his skull appeared to be transparent, revealing the majority of his oversized brain while his hood was down, which it was at that moment.

"What the hell are you...?" Anna held M'gann against her tightly as she stared daggers at the man.

"He used to be a psychic enforcer for an old Earth country, ran by a powerful dictator called Queen Bee. He shouldn't be alive though!" M'gann shouted, trembling slightly against Anna's chest as they watched him slowly walk up the stairs towards them.

"Oh believe me, most days I wish I wasn't. Such is the price of immortality however...I wonder...has your friend ever gotten to see the _real _you?" Anna didn't like the evil look in Psimon's eyes at all as she gently pushed M'gann behind her, intending to be the first that the psychic would have to attack if he was foolish enough to try.

"I know exactly what you're talking about, and I don't give a shit what M'gann looks like. White martian, green martian, what's the difference?! M'gann is the same no matter what you sick fuck!" A familiar blue glow of dark energy surrounded Anna as she gained steam, preparing to send Psimon packing if he so much as twitched an eyebrow at her.

"Well damn...and I was hoping to do the big reveal and everything. Oh...I see you're worried about the little green cub eh? Haven't you learned anything about telepaths and telekinetics Annabell? The laws of gravity don't apply!" Anna desperately tried to use her biotics as she was pulled towards Psimon with no apparent way of stopping herself. She tried to move, but whatever he was doing had completely immobilized her, making trying to use her biotics an exercise in futility. Turning Anna around so that she was facing M'gann, whose eyes had started to glow a bright green, Psimon merely shook his finger at her. "Ah ah ah M'gann, you wouldn't hurt her now would you?"

"Let...her...go." Anna had never heard the martian say anything in such an imposing tone of voice before. Gone was the little girl she was so used to seeing. What was in front of her now was the same M'gann that had tried to disarm a black hole bomb by herself while her team tried to fight their way through Kobra soldiers. It was an impressive change, to say the least, and Anna couldn't have been prouder of the martian's willingness to fight against her fears and try to help the marine.

"I think not...you were most rude to interrupt my fun child." Almost motionless, all Anna could do was glare as his leering face appeared before her. "Don't worry Annabell, that won't be happening again." The man quickly turned his focus back to the young martian that had invaded his mental realm. "Since Lt. Annabell Shepard here doesn't like to see others hurt, perhaps she'd like to partake instead?"

"Don't you touch her!" Psimon seemed to ponder M'gann's order for a moment before he had a small epiphany.

"I have it! Since you bothered me, I think I'll use one of your fears on your friend here..." With a flourish, he raised his right hand, which now possessed several razor sharp blades extending from his fingers. Anna wanted to smash Psimon's skull apart more than ever now as she saw the terror in the martian's eyes. "What's the matter? It's only a movie...or is it?" Shepard couldn't stop the scream from bursting out of her throat as the man slashed the blades across her exposed arm.

"Come on...you fuck...that the best...you got?! Polonium rounds hurt more than that!" He was only pissing her off when most people would be begging for their lives by that point. It might have felt real, but because she knew it was only in her head, Shepard could endure the pain. He had been having better luck with his more mental oriented tortures, but she wasn't going to tell him that. It wasn't entirely for her benefit however as Anna looked towards M'gann and saw that her will was starting to crumble. By hurting her, he was affecting M'gann's ability to stay strong. Just as she was about to say something to encourage the martian to try and fight through her emotional torment, Psimon dug his claws deep into Anna's belly. That got the marine's attention as she screamed herself hoarse, unaware that Psimon had channeled Shepard's pain into a powerful psychic attack aimed at M'gann.

She wasn't prepared for it as the martian was forcibly removed from Anna's mind, leaving Shepard and Psimon to themselves once more. "You bastard...what did you...do to her?!" Despite the horrendous pain that was radiating through her stomach, Anna still had enough fight left to give him the most scathing look she could manage.

"I evicted her. She was such lousy company anyway. Not like you...so full of spirit. It'll truly be a shame when I finally break you my dear. By the time I'm done, you won't even remember who or what Annabell Shepard was, let alone your annoying martian friend. Now, where were we?" Despite the screams that followed, Anna knew she had won, M'gann was safe. They all were safe, and that was all she cared about as her world went dark once again.

Waking up in her bed again, Anna steeled herself for what was to come as she looked up towards the ceiling. "I'm onto you now you fuck. Get ready to be disappointed if you're looking for a good show."

"_I haven't even gotten warmed up Annabell."_

**Meanwhile, In The Real World.**

**Silversun Strip District, Anderson's Apartment. Citadel Station.**

**April 3th, 2178**

**06:48 GST**

Her hands were still shaking as she was given a cup of hot cocoa by David. Everyone was gathered around the dining room table as M'gann tried to recall what her dream had been about. All she got was the same sensations she had told Artemis about last night. Pain, fear, confusion, and rage. None of which had been her own, she knew that for sure. She remembered her own fear, but what she had been afraid of the martian couldn't say. "This has never happened before...I just know something terrible is happening."

"She freaked me out last night because I found her head in the toilet when I came running to check on her. I've never seen M'gann so afraid of anything in her life, not even her phobia to fire could compare to what I saw in her eyes." Artemis shivered involuntarily just remembering the way her friend had looked last night.

"I know you're scared child, but you'll be alright. Everyone has a god awful nightmare now and again, part of the human, or in your case, martian condition as they say." The seasoned marine was finding himself more concerned now than in any fire fight as he gently made circular motions on the girl's back.

Artemis had had the foresight to call Kaldur earlier that morning, and asked him to come over to the apartment, and Garrus hadn't wasted any time in getting the Atlantean over to them as soon as he was able. He was sitting at the table now, looking thoughtful as always, more so today given the strange circumstances. "David, I know M'gann, and I know that she has never had anything close to what has been described to me. Believe her when she says that this was no simple nightmare." Kaldur calmly replied, believing M'gann wasn't suffering from mere nightmares. There was something else at work, he'd bet his life on that.

"I just find it hard to believe it was anything more than a nightmare. Ok, if it wasn't, then what was it then?" David asked, trying to make sense of it all. He was too old to believe in much of anything that he couldn't see and feel for himself anymore. Too many wars and too many lonely nights had made him a bit cynical and unable to grasp concepts he wasn't already familiar with. The possibility of different realities had been proven because of the kids' arrival, and while he knew dreams existed, he still had a hard time wrapping his head around the power M'gann possessed. The Mental Realm or Astral Plane or whatever it was called was just pushing things too far for Anderson.

"Guys? I think M'gann's dream might not have been a dream after all." Richard said as he pulled up his omni-tool and checked on the tracker program he had set up for their wayward friend. _Thank god for being paranoid. _"According to the tracking beacons that are still functioning...she hasn't moved in the last twelve hours...and that's one hell of a nap. Come on you piece of..." Slapping his omni-tool a couple of times when he noticed some kind of interference, Dick blinked as he saw that two of the signals had disappeared. "Son of a...I think I was being fed false data. I can still track her, but two of those signals were covering up the real one. Your magic coin is still working Kaldur as well as the watch I bugged, thankfully. Wait...this is weird. Both of them have been motionless for nearly the same amount of time, but they are in different locations within roughly five hundred meters."

That watch Dick had given Anna before she left was old, and worth a lot of money to the right people, a fact David knew since it was a well known fact that the different races had a thing for old Earth relics. "Someone got greedy, I'd bet my career that she is being held prisoner somewhere. Your watch probably just saved her life." Anderson was looking at M'gann in a new light as guilt started to creep into his mind at not believing her sooner. "I don't know how you did it M'gann but personally, I don't care. You knew she was in trouble before the rest of us and it seems you were right. I hope you can-"

"It's ok David. As long as you believe me now, that's all that matters." She interrupted him with a hug, the shaking in her hands having stopped now that they knew for sure one way or the other. "We'll get her back, somehow."

Anderson immediately activated the encoded channel on his omni-tool. They had delayed long enough. "Time to call in a favor...let's hope Hackett is in a good mood."

A grizzled man's bearded face appeared on his screen a moment later. "I had a bad feeling you were going to call David. I won't ask how you know, but the mission went up in smoke almost immediately upon her shuttle landing on Akuze. We haven't received any transmissions from the rescue party in almost fourteen hours. We're trying everything we can to figure out what's going on, but so far we're up against a brick wall."

He had been a soldier for too long to let bad news cripple his ability to make decisions, and despite it being his own daughter in trouble this time, Anderson managed to keep it together as he tried to come up with a plan with the Admiral. "Any ships nearby to assess the situation?" Hackett gave an irritated sigh and shook his head.

"Closest ship is the _Concordia_, and she's five days out to the Verge. We've been getting scattered reports of batarian ship movements, but we have nothing concrete yet." The Admiral looked lost in thought until a voice he didn't immediately recognize interrupted their conversation.

"Admiral, we have several tracking devices that you can use to find Anna and the rest of her squad, hopefully alive and well." Megan earned a strange look from the older gentleman as her face appeared next to Anderson's on his control board, but Hackett just shook his head as his frown lifted up into a small smile.

"I was wondering when I would hear from you Ms. Morse. You and your friends created quite the buzz when that still unidentified cruiser tried to kidnap you off of that commercial transport not so long ago. I've heard good things about you all, and it seems you've done my men and your friend a service by tagging her. If I wasn't in the middle of a crisis situation, I'd pin a medal to your chest myself." The medal would have been a formality since Hackett had psych profiles on all of Anderson's charges, and it didn't take a shrink to understand that they would be happy just to get Anna Shepard back.

"Hey Hackett, I can send you the signal tracking frequencies if you haven't already found them." Richard was quick to butt in, earning a slightly amused scowl from the Admiral as his gaze fell on the youngest of the group.

"Mr. Richard Grayson I presume. That's _Admiral _Hackett to you son, but if you can send the data, then knock yourself out. It'll just save us time having to look for them ourselves." Any advantage at this point would shave time off of any attempted rescue, and it would increase their chances of finding Shepard and her squad alive and well.

Anderson didn't hesitate as he decided to put his career and his freedom on the line. Possibly going to prison for the rest of his life would be a small price to pay to get Anna back safe. "I need your help Stephen...I'm calling in that promise from the First Contact War."

"Damn...I knew you would use that against me sooner or later. Just so you know, I expect you to testify at my court martial hearing when this all goes to hell." The Admiral already had a good idea of what exactly was going to be asked of him. "Docking bay seventeen, at _precisely _13:23 hours. Godspeed David, bring them home."

David wouldn't dream of leaving Stephen Hackett to take the fall on his own if things didn't go smoothly. They had fought together in the war, and while Hackett had gone up to Admiral, Anderson had been content to rise as far as Commander. "Thank you Stephen, and I will. Semper fi old friend." Hackett only nodded and cut the line after Richard had sent the data he had promised.

"Semper fidelis; it means always faithful, always loyal. You two have endured much together haven't you?" David nodded towards M'gann as she put a hand on his arm. "We will get her back David. After everything you've done for us, it's the least we can do."

"Don't try to argue with her old man, you'll just get tied up and dragged along with us if you try to stop us." Artemis was quick to add in, but despite her attempt at her usual sarcastic humor, her friends could see she was just as worried about the situation as the rest of them. "She better be alive when we get there. I've come to care for her too much to lose her now."

"We all have Artemis." Kaldur said as he put a hand on her shoulder, his quiet strength an unshakable emotional pillar for all of them. "She's the strongest person I've ever met. She _will _survive." His assurance was all they needed as everyone stood from the table and quickly fell into preparing for the trip that was ahead of them.

"I've been working on a fabrication program for your arrows Artemis. Give me a little bit and I should be able to finish it and let you test it. I've been trying something similar with my batarangs and it seems to be working, just as long as I have the component parts on hand anyway." It increased his carrying capacity dramatically, having the omni-tool's fabrication systems on hand, letting him mass produce several types of specialty batarangs with relative ease. He was sure he could do something for Artemis as well.

"I think I'll stick to something a little more reliable." Anderson was already opening a locked weapons safe behind the bar, and quickly removed several rifles and pistols. "I want each of you to take a pistol as a back up, no arguments. You have one hour to get your gear set and then we start planning."

"I won't argue, I will say however that Ollie would consider this an emotional weapon. A bow requires discipline and patience. Until I run out of arrows and planchettes, I don't plan to use this." Artemis was quick to reply, glad now that they had continued to fight and earn money at the combat arena because they could afford better armor and equipment. Before, it had been agreed they wouldn't spend needlessly, and now Artemis was glad they had saved up as much as they had. They weren't rich by any means, but a few new toys wasn't out of reach. She had a feeling they'd need every advantage they could get going in.

"Oliver sounds like a wise man, but that doesn't change my opinion. I'd rather you have something to defend yourself with if one of your arms gets busted up." Anderson ignored the look that Artemis shot his way before heading off to pack her gear. Kaldur was already on the 'phone' with Garrus, having him pack everything that the Atlantean could think of.

"I am sorry to put you on the spot like this Garrus." Kaldur said as he followed Dick to his workshop, Garrus's face appearing in his own omni-tool's screen.

"It's ok Kaldur. I'll try not to miss you too damn much. And Kaldur'ahm? You get your scaley butt back here in one piece. I don't want to have to train another partner." Kaldur stopped when Garrus used his full name, but the turian only offered a small grin as he disconnected from his friend's comms. Some things just didn't need to be said.

"I'll do my best my friend." Dick looked up from the box he was packing, the question he wanted to ask clear on his face but the warm smile on Kaldur's face answered it for him. Shaking his head, Dick let the Atlantean have his privacy as he continued to pack anything he thought he'd need.

"He's a good guy Kaldur. You couldn't have asked for a better friend out here." Richard's comment made Kaldur stop in his tracks, but when he looked to Richard, he was glad to see that his old friend was happy for how close they'd gotten since his time in this reality. "What? Did you think I'd be jealous? Plenty of bromance to go around buddy. Besides, he reminds me of Commissioner Gordon a little, although your turian buddy has a sense of humor."

Before they could continue talking, Artemis walked by and pointed a finger at each of them. "You, stop talking and start working on the arrow fabricator. You, head over to Garrus's apartment and grab your stuff. We don't have time to screw around!"

Kaldur jerked straight to his feet and only nodded as he left to get his gear. She had almost reminded him of the instructors at the C-Sec Academy, the way she had barked at them both. Only the instructors had been slightly more mellow than their determined friend. It was a side of her he admired because he vastly preferred her determined and capable, when she believed herself to be. That was the important thing to remember with Artemis, she was stronger than she realized. That side of her had been the strongest he had seen from Artemis in a long time when she had shouted at them just a few seconds ago.

"Damn...it's almost like Anna never left..." Dick could be heard saying as Artemis wandered out of earshot. He wasn't about to draw her attention again if he could help it, she'd hurt him otherwise. Unfortunately for him, she could hear even better than he initially thought.

"I think I'll take that as a compliment now, and break one of your legs later, _after _we get Anna back." That was more than enough motivation for Dick to start running around the workshop at a lightning fast pace. "Don't forget the pistol Richard; I might not agree with him, but David has a point."

"Let's leave this part out if we ever see our old family and friends again. I know Bruce would pull his hair out if he heard we used projectile weapons like this no matter the reason." Bruce never killed his opponents, and Richard wasn't about to break that single unspoken rule if he could help it. But if it came down to losing Anna, or having to kill to save her, he wouldn't hesitate. That went for M'gann, Kaldur, and Artemis as well...especially Artemis. _I can't get distracted. They need me to lead so I __need my head in the game._

**Scout Class Ship SSV Diligence**

**Docking Bay Seventeen **

**Precisely 13:23 GST **

Flight Cadet Moreau's trip to the hospital had thankfully been shorter than usual, having gotten out three days earlier. But even with a good word from David Anderson after the fiasco in Washington, he had almost been exiled to the ass end of the universe for helping those kids as he did. Thankfully, because he was such an accomplished pilot even with his genetic disorder, Joker had been given a slap on the wrist and sent to the Citadel for some in flight field exercises, so to speak. It seemed one of the C-Sec Academy flight instructors had crashed and burned due to catastrophic engine failure and he had been 'volunteered' to replace him for a few months.

"Why do I always get the shit assignments whenever I intern for course credit? I mean, _at least _let me fly something...instead of babysitting a friggin bunch of Nuggets on a training cruise. And I'm talking to myself already...this is gonna kill me." Looking out of the cockpit though, having been behind the controls for the better part of ten minutes, Jeff 'Joker' Moreau's day was about to get a lot more interesting. He wiped at his eyes just to be sure he was actually seeing what is in front of him as he gawked out the cockpit window in shock. "Oh you gotta be shitting me...these guys again?! I just got out of the damn med bay and I already avoided one bullet, another charge and I'm done!" Trying to lock the airlock down didn't slow M'gann down for a moment as she simply phased through the ship's wall and nearly gave Joker a heart attack in the process.

Upon seeing who was at the helm, M'gann's frown turned into a beaming smile. "Jeff?! I am glad you are alright! You seem upset, sorry if I scared you...Jeff, there's no need to be so rude..." As much as she wanted to hug him, she remembered that he had a brittle bone disorder and simply kissed him on the cheek.

"Sorry...your entrance isn't boring at least. It's perfectly normal for a girl to walk through a meter thick hatch like it was tinfoil. I know I'm going to regret asking this but...why are you here?" He should have been panicking by now, but there was no way he could argue with the kind, if slightly strange, girl that had made him blush with just a chaste kiss to the cheek.

Not surprisingly, the alien girl laid it all out for him as if he had been involved in whatever they were planning from the beginning. "We need to steal this ship and rescue a friend of ours who's being held against her will."

"Oh...so normal Tuesday stuff? Gotcha." Joker grimaced as he heard a pair of boots quickly approaching from behind. This could be problematic, given who the soldier in question was.

"Who are you talking to cadet? Are we being boarded?!" The stunned female marine, who had been a pain in Joker's ass the second she met him, immediately dropped into a fighting stance when she saw the overly friendly intruder. Then, she proceeded to stare in awe at the group heading their way when she caught sight of them outside the windows. "Is that Commander Anderson, and who are you?!" Megan was about to introduce herself when the marine turned her attention back to her, but Joker opened his mouth first.

"You really catch on quick for a grunt Williams, beauty _and_ brains...how can you possibly still be single?" The young marine took a second to glare at him before flicking her eyes back to M'gann.

"Shut up Joker." Ashley grumbled as she crossed her arms under her chest. "You never did answer my question. Who are you?" The hard look on her face had thankfully subsided a little, but she wasn't letting the matter drop so easily.

M'gann just gave the stunned female marine a shy wave as she went to open the airlock for the others. "Hello Corporal Williams! My name is Megan Morse, and I'm sorry about this. I promise it's for a good reason."

"I'm calling this in. Don't move a muscle; you open that hatch, and I'll have to hurt you." Something about the odd girl made Ashley hesitate for a moment, but that wasn't going to stop her from doing her duty.

"I can't let you do that." M'gann felt bad about what she was about to do as Ashley's hand went to her sidearm, and the marine felt something odd in her brain before she hit the deck in a heap, snoring the moment she hit the metal. Joker was appropriately stunned to see Ashley Williams sleeping peacefully in the middle of the floor. "She's fine, I just...insisted that she was tired. Very tired."

"Would it help if I said please don't mess with my brain? I kind of like it the way it is now." Jeff barely managed to avoid flinching as she gently touched his right arm.

"Don't worry Jeff, I'd never do anything like that to you, I promise. Now, can you open the airlock for everyone to join us? Time is of the essence." Megan smiled warmly and was, once again, tempted to hug him as she 'heard' his answer to her question before he actually followed through.

"Well since you asked nicely and promised not to lobotomize me or anything..." Joker shook his head as he hit the main airlock release. "So this is how Stockholm Syndrome starts...first you get seduced by a cute alien girl, you end up held hostage in a ship, and you start to fall in love with your kidnappers as they raise Hell. Hmm, I guess it could be worse." He had meant it as a sarcastic and rhetorical rant but as usual, M'gann took it seriously.

"Sorry Jeff...I already have someone special. I hope to see him again one day. Thanks for making me feel desirable, it's kind of nice." Joker avoided her gaze when he felt another damn blush coming on and focused on his controls.

"Aww shucks M'gann, I never thought you'd go for glass ass here." Artemis smirked as she lead the pack with David right by her side. Kaldur and Dick brought up the rear with a heavily loaded luggage trolley in tow. "Too bad you're taken, I'm sure fly boy would have loved to be with a shapeshifter."

Joker's interest was suddenly piqued by that little tidbit of information. "Really? You can change your shape? Care to demonstrate?"

"Joker, get our asses in the air before I cuff you to that seat permanently. Dick, Kaldur, get our gear squared away and secure before we take off. Artemis, take Sleeping Beauty and make sure she won't be bothering us in the future, but secure her as comfortably as possible. M'gann, you continue to impress me; how about you stay up here and keep an eye on Joker with me?" David's orders were followed immediately as the group scattered throughout the small vessel.

"Citadel Docking Control to SSV Diligence, you are not cleared for departure, I repeat...oh, our mistake." M'gann shrugged as her cheeks turned a shade of red from the 'gentle' persuasion she had employed. They'd figure it out eventually, but now their departure wouldn't be hampered at least.

"Ok Jedi Knight Megan, any other tricks I should know about?" Joker was starting to like having the alien girl around as said 'Jedi' blushed a darker shade of red at his praise. "Geez, you have all that power and you're so humble. It's kind of cute really. I just know I'd be going all Sith on everyone's asses with the stuff you can do."

"I would not mention that around Richard. You and he would never stop talking about your sci fi fascinations otherwise." Kaldur said from behind the small group in the cockpit.

David just sighed as he realized he'd be surrounded by sci-fi fanatics on a small scout ship for the foreseeable future. His misgivings at putting his young charges in danger must have been louder than he realized as he 'heard' the martian in his head. "_You underestimate their willingness to put their lives on the line David."_ He looked to M'gann who only looked up and smiled solemnly. He was seeing a side of her he hadn't seen before. "_They might act goofy and silly to relieve stress, but Richard, Artemis, everyone here would put their lives on the line for her, let alone each other. Even Jeff, but please don't tell him I said so; it will embarrass him."_

David smiled and pulled M'gann against his side, nodding silently to her request and her 'words' as well. "_Every good soldier does the same thing M'gann. We joke and banter before a mission because it's far better than tensing up more than we already are from what we're walking into. I just don't feel right, putting you in danger even if you've done this before far more than I can count."_

"_But you're willing to do so because you know we'd have just found our own way there whether you liked it or not."_ M'gann's eyes twinkled with her mischievous 'thought', even though it was true. They would have snuck out of the apartment without David if they had had no choice in the matter.

"_Of that I have no doubt whatsoever M'gann." _She could tell he was going to broach a tense subject by the way he actively paused his thoughts for a moment. "_Corporal Williams...I assume that whatever you did to her won't last that long?"_

"_She'll be fine, I promise. I can't say that whoever is hurting Anna will be able to say the same if I get to them first, but Williams is merely asleep. I implanted the need to sleep into her head and she should be stirring in a few hours."_ David nodded and accepted M'gann's answer without further investigation. The martian didn't have the guile to lie, even a harmless white lie was too much for her most of the time. He hadn't missed the threatening tone in her voice however, and wondered if he knew M'gann as well as he thought. The memories he had shared from her life suggested she had more to her than met the eye, he just hoped that it would be enough to see her through the trials to come.

"_Good work M'gann, I couldn't have done a better job myself. As for the people holding Anna...you'll have to get in line behind me." _The grim determination on Anderson's face matched M'gann's own, but they were brought out of their 'thoughts' by Joker a moment later.

Seeing the two of them nod and smile off and on without talking was starting to seriously damage Joker's calm. "That is still as super creepy as ever, hell it's worse when I'm not in the loop. You never said where we were going either and the relay's coming up in ten minutes."

Joker nearly jumped out of his seat when Megan's voice spoke in his mind. "_Akuze, Jeff, we're going to Akuze. That better?"_

"Other than I'm about to shit my pants, yep I'm good now." Joker had to wonder who he had pissed off in another life to have such bad karma. "_For all I know I was responsible for World War II or Crystal Pepsi. That would explain my luck or lack thereof at least. Oh well, maybe it'll get better? Yeah and flying monkeys will come out of my butt."_

"Why would a flying monkey do that? Oh...sorry, was I not supposed to hear that?" Joker wanted to hit his head against the flight controls in front of him since he wasn't able to do so at a desk. M'gann blushed again about the same time their pilot did, making David just shake his head as he walked away to check on the rest of their improvised crew.

"Oh good...maybe he isn't going to go all N7 on my ass after all..." That was too much to hope for as Joker and M'gann both heard David shout over his shoulder on his way out of the cockpit.

"And Joker! Keep your thoughts censored around Megan. She better still be just as innocent and sweet when I get back."

"There goes my pension, and my shore leave, and my career. He hates me doesn't he?" Joker asked M'gann who was doing her best not to laugh. Despite his words, Jeff really did like David Anderson, in an extremely annoying kind of way.

"I can't imagine why." M'gann leaned closer to the pilot and conspiratorially whispered in his ear. "He actually likes you, even if you annoy him constantly."

"I don't know if that makes me feel better...or utterly terrified. Well, get ready for a long flight. We're approaching the relay now." Joker tapped the ship intercom button as they neared the relay a few seconds later. "This is your hostage/pilot speaking, we'll be hitting the relay in three...two...one." With a flash of light they were instantly transported halfway across the galaxy. "Okay...course set, we'll be arriving at Akuze in roughly eighteen hours."

"Did you really just fly us halfway across the galaxy and hit the target the size of a pinhead Joker?" She had 'seen' the math in the pilot's head and had figured out the appropriate saying on her own. M'gann was impressed but Joker's ego, she soon realized, didn't need her inflating it more.

"Yes, yes I did M'gann. I'm just that awesome. I don't suppose you could just dump me and Williams in a shuttle now that the autopilot could handle this?" The pilot knew that wasn't going to happen in his case, but he had to ask for Williams sake; she didn't need to be involved. M'gann was about to reply to his selfless request, but someone else beat her to the punch.

"Sorry Joker, and I am still creeped out everytime I call you that by the way, but we need a good pilot in case trouble happens to pop up on our way there and back." Richard said as he soon joined M'gann and Jeff, dusting his hands off from unpacking some of the more essential equipment they'd need right away. "And as much as I hate the idea of hostage taking, we'd rather not risk the chance your shuttle wound up stranded or something. You'd probably be safer with us in all honesty."

"Great...well that wasn't bone chillingly ominous at all. I take it your attractive buddy got herself captured by some really bad people?" The looks the two 'passengers' gave him were more than enough to show he was right. "She must be a hell of a friend to have you guys going to help her. I almost feel sorry for whoever gets in your way. Almost. Just know that when they lock you up, I'll have to cover my ass...nothing personal."

"We stole this ship and kidnapped you, you don't owe us anything. Maybe you could tell them we were temporarily insane though?" Dick smirked as he walked away from the cockpit and headed passed the small CIC to the crew/cargo area towards the rear of the ship. He needed to finish that fabrication program for Artemis and make some final adjustments to his specially modded suit of armor.

Needless to say, Bruce would probably shake his head given the obvious theme of Dick's new suit. Unpacking the mostly black suit that had a blue bat like motif on the front, Richard did a final check of the systems before nodding his approval of his progress. "Alright, now just need to make sure the new tactical cloak works." He'd worry about that later, he'd been putting off his promise for too long already.

**Two Hours Later...**

"Almost...just a little more and-" Dick jerked sharply when Artemis's angry shout startled him and the prototype arrow fabrication mod he was working on for her omni-tool went flying off the workbench he was standing next to.

"Dick look out!" He didn't even think as he twisted out of the way of an enraged Ashley Williams. Ashley was surprised but she was a trained soldier, she was used to fighting the odds every day and a bunch of kids weren't going to slow her down. She didn't plan to kill any of them, not unless she had to, just subduing them would get the job done. In that split second however, Artemis had already closed the distance between them, giving Richard time to disappear.

"You're not bad blondie!" Ashley shouted as they closed to melee range, and the Alliance marine was surprised to see that Artemis had some martial training under her belt as her strikes came at her measured and controlled rather than frantically like a common civilian. "Who trained you?"

"Oliver Queen!" Artemis shouted back, not about to credit her father for anything other than another name on Ollie's list. Kicking low before twisting about to the right, her bow leading as she used it to block and attack at the same time, Ashley had to nod her approval as she had her hands full with the unorthodox method of CQC she was up against.

"I don't know who the hell you're talking about, he taught you pretty well though." Feinting a strike and drawing Artemis in close, Ashley stunned the young girl by bashing her head into the archer's face. Slamming a fist into her stomach a second later, the marine finished the fight with a kick across the jaw, knocking Artemis out cold when she hit the deck. "But I'm better."

"You know, I normally don't hit girls, but after that dirty move, I'm making an exception." Richard said from the shadows somewhere behind Ashley before she turned on her heel. Picking up her side arm from his workbench, Ashley heard a sound she didn't recognize as she ducked just in time to avoid taking a batarang to the face. "You've got good reflexes, I'll give you that, but you are out of your league." The flash bang that went off was testament to that as the batarang he had thrown exploded in a burst of blinding light and noise.

If not for a timely blink on her part, it would have worked. "Bad move kid. I thought I saw the tell tale shimmer of a tactical cloak before you tried to blind me." Ashley grinned, her pistol aimed about three feet off the ground right in front of her. Dick looked down and immediately swallowed when he realized her gun was aimed at his groin. Disengaging the cloaking field, Richard gave a sheepish smile to the soldier in front of him.

"Um...parley?" Dick asked, hoping to walk away from this mess he had gotten himself into with his testicles still attached.

"Should have known you were a bloody pirate." Ashley smirked as she lowered her weapon, seeing the boy relax his guard for a split second. Then her boot met her target as Dick slumped over and fell gasping to the deck. "When you're able to have kids, they might have found their way back out of your throat. In the meantime, remember not to fuck with a Williams girl."

"Point...taken." Barely able to speak, Richard could only watch as the marine ran over to the door leading to the CIC/helm. It opened a moment later, as a shocked M'gann stared at her fallen friend. "M'gann! Behind-"

Ashley was proving to be a much more formidable opponent than Dick would have imagined as she somehow got the drop on the martian. Before his warning even had time to sink in, Ashley had already smashed the back of her right fist into the martian's face. When M'gann didn't immediately go down, Ashley flipped the pistol in her other hand and slammed the butt against her head, sending M'gann to the deck unconscious. "Sorry kid, my method isn't as painless as yours."

"Neither is mine!" Kaldur shouted, already having formed a sword and shield as he rushed a surprised Williams. "You should not have done that Corporal Williams." From angry to cold and calm at the drop of a hat, Ashley had not expected such an emotional shift as she managed to avoid being gutted by taking a step back and bending backward as fast as she could. Kaldur's water constructed sword passed harmlessly over her face as she grabbed his sword arm and tried to ram her elbow into his neck on her way back up.

He twisted away before she could follow through, forcing Ashley back as he brought his shield to bear when he completed his spin. Again she managed to avoid being smashed but she was running out of room to maneuver, the back wall coming up fast. Leveling her gun at the Atlantean, Kaldur was forced to duck for cover behind his shield. His techno sorcery created shield withstood the first three shots but shattered on the last, jerking his arm back and thus leaving him wide open as the marine closed the distance between them. He wasn't able to get his sword up in time as she landed a double chop to both sides of his neck with her hands. It would have been an agonizing blow to most, but for Kaldur, it disabled him almost instantly as it felt like his gills were set on fire.

Blinking in surprise at the look that had crossed his face as he slumped to the deck, Ashley looked to the side of his neck and jerked back in surprise when she saw the last thing she expected to see. "Okay...he has gills. That's...new." What race had gills besides the drell? She had no idea, but it wasn't important at the moment.

"I see I underestimated you badly Corporal, thank you for not killing them at least." Jerking her gun up towards the door, Ashley relaxed when she saw it was Commander Anderson. He at least she could talk to about all this, given his reputation and his record as an honorable man that men followed without question in most cases.

"I need to know what's going on and then I need to get this ship turned around sir. I'm sorry I had to teach these kids a lesson , but I can't let you hijack this ship." David knew the type of soldier Ashley was. They did everything by the book, but when the book wasn't enough, some were able to adapt surprisingly well. Ashley had proven that in spades with her handling of his young charges.

"You're just being a good soldier, I understand Corporal, but hear me out before you make your decision. What would you do for your family if you knew without a shadow of a doubt they were in danger? What I should be asking you is, what wouldn't you do for your family? That's what I'm facing today. My adopted daughter is out there, captured on Akuze. God only knows what's happened to her, and I'm not about to let her down if I can help it." Ashley knew David Anderson, by reputation at least, that he was honest, blunt, and didn't dance around with pretty words like some 'career officers' who were more concerned with their political ties than their men's lives. "Either you can shoot me or help me Williams, but I'm not giving up. Just like your grandfather at Shanxi, a good man who got a shit ending to his career because the brass thought someone had to take the blame."

Anderson saw something flash in her eyes, shock, pride, and finally a hint of guilt as she lowered her weapon. "Deep down, I always knew he did it right. I guess the stories about you are true sir." Ashley holstered the pistol and walked over to a nearby supply cabinet. "Might as well see about patching up your weird ass team. My mess, I'll clean up sir."

As he quickly checked over her and carried M'gann to a bunk, Anderson tried to dissuade the young marine from doing anything that could be used against her later. "You don't have to help us you know, I don't need anymore damaged lives on my hands Williams."

"If you know my name then you know my career history has been nothing but crap postings since day one. I've always had to push myself to be better than the best just to make it this far. Serving in this little rescue mission will at least be the highlight of my life in the Systems Alliance marines. Besides, it's either help you or shoot you, remember?" She smirked over her shoulder as she rolled Artemis onto her back and applied some medi-gel to her bruised and battered face. She was surprised when the archer grabbed her by the throat but Ashley pried the girl's hand away before she could do anything further. "Easy there blondie, I'm on your side. For the record, if you had just told me what the hell was going on, I wouldn't have had to school you in proper CQC."

"Whatever you say there soldier girl. Let's go for round two when we get back to the Citadel if you think you're so tough." Ash just grinned at the challenge that had been thrown her way by the defiant archer in front of her. The girl would have fit right in with her sisters.

"Let's just survive this trip to Akuze first blondie, then I can kick your ass again if you like." It was Artemis's turn to smirk despite how much her face hurt. Either she just met her new best friend or her worst nightmare. _Probably a bit of both._

"Um...a little...help please?" Ashley just shook her head, grabbed a cold pack, and dumped it into one of Dick's hands. "Thanks..." He grumbled, his ego more bruised than his testicles at that moment because he had gotten cocky. That was a mistake he wouldn't be repeating anytime soon as he groaned in relief when he applied the pack. "You didn't have to slap Kaldur's neck by the way. That was worse than your shot to my junk."

"No one told me we had a fish boy running around. What the Hell is he anyway?" Although her curiosity was piqued, Ashley focused more on applying some medi-gel around the swollen and irritated areas on Kaldur's neck. She was careful not to get any of the medi-gel inside his gills, unsure what might happen if she did.

Having not been paying attention to his face, Ashley jerked back when she saw the young man's intense gaze was back in full force when she did look up. "I'm an Atlantean, but I realize how that sounds if you know the 'myth' and not the truth."

"I'm stuck in a scene right out of Ender's Game with all you damn kids, an Alliance commander has hijacked this ship, and this young girl I knocked out is now green for some reason." Ashley just raised an eyebrow at said green girl as she put some medi-gel on the nasty cut above her hairline, before walking away to check on the others. "Nothing is going to shock me anymore today."

"_You'd be surprised Ms. Williams."_

"What the hell?!" Looking to the bunk where Anderson had put the young girl earlier, Ashley had to blink a couple of times because that 'voice' in her head had sounded familiar as she looked to M'gann again. "Nice trick. So we have an archer chick, a green skinned telepath, an old war hero, a crippled pilot, fish boy, and what, a ninja reject?"

"Very funny Assley." Artemis had to smirk at the offended scowl that crossed Richard's face as she helped him into a nearby chair. "So, did David give you the whole 'family in trouble speech?' yet?"

David glared at Artemis, Dick, and Kaldur. M'gann was free of blame since she did exactly what he had told her to do by knocking the marine out, and apparently didn't have a chance of stopping Ashley when she woke up. "Maybe if you three had used your brains instead of brawn we could have avoided this entirely. But...I blame myself first and foremost. I should have simply asked for your help earlier Williams, you obviously deserved more trust than I initially gave you."

"Needed the practice anyway sir. Wouldn't want to get dull, and some of them even put up a good fight. Nice trick with that glorified boomerang, but blondie and fish boy put up a better fight by far." Rolling her right shoulder a bit, Ashley just grinned at the embarrassed look that started to form on Dick's face

"Will you please stop busting my balls more than you have already?" Artemis had to bite her lip hard enough to draw blood in an attempt to stop her laughter as Richard's offended look only became worse.

"You're lucky they're still attached kid, I must be getting soft. Just be glad you didn't try to move when I had a bead on you. Otherwise..." Ashley aimed her right hand pointer finger, thumb up, at the area Richard was nursing. "Bang!" She almost felt guilty when the boy flinched at her little joke. Artemis lost it and doubled over as loud laughter echoed around the scout ship.

"Oh I like you Ashley. Can we keep her David? Oh please tell me we can keep her." At this point, Artemis was laughing so hard she could barely breath as the marine just glowered at her, then smirked and shook her head.

"I doubt Corporal Williams wishes to referred to as some type of pet Artemis. Thank you for your medical aid, and Commander- David is correct, we should have simply talked to you first Williams. I apologize for the misunderstanding." Kaldur replied, rubbing the back of his neck in mild embarrassment for losing control as he had. He was mindful of his swollen gills and was glad she hadn't hit him any harder than she had.

"Hey, you found your green alien friend on the ground when you walked in. I'd have probably freaked out too if I'd been in your shoes...gills...whatever. If it makes you feel any better you would have had me, had you been a split second faster." He was a lot stronger than he looked and it had caught Ashley off guard, but luckily no lasting damage had been done to any of them in the fighting that followed.

"Since I would have most likely killed you, I am glad I was not. You fight well Corporal, it is rare I, or any of my friends, find such a challenging opponent. I would be honored to spar with you, in a non lethal fashion." It was the closest he had ever come to a joke, even if he meant what he said as he held out his right hand to the woman in front of him that had earned the Atlantean's profound respect in such a short time.

Ashley grabbed the offered hand and shook it, before making Kaldur blush profusely. "Ah shucks kid, you really know how to sweet talk a girl. I'd be happy to spar your brains out." "_If only you were a little older kid...let me guess, another one of your tricks Megan?"_

"_She's quick."_ Artemis smirked at the annoyed look on Ashley's face.

"Ok, that's a bit much there. You're gonna give Kaldur a heart attack, keep talking like that Ash." Dick grinned at the extremely embarrassed look on his friend's face. "He's old fashion gentleman material Corporal, opens doors and everything for the fair maidens, although I'm not inclined to put that label on you."

"I can shoot you between the eyes at a hundred meters, you do know that right?" Dick wasn't sure if he should be worried or take the comment as a joke. It was hard given how Ashley had said it to determine which way he should take it, so Richard did the only safe thing he could and just nodded, not about to take a chance either way. "You're smarter than you look kid."

"Um hello? Did I hear gunshots or was that just my imagination?" Joker asked over the intercom, hoping he wasn't alone in the ship or something. That would be about his luck at this rate. The only reason why he hadn't asked anything sooner was because things had gotten entirely too quiet for his liking. "Guys? Guys?! I'm going to be attacked by space zombies or something any minute, I just know it!"

"We are fine Joker, just a misunderstanding is all." M'gann was quick to reply, feeling quite ashamed for having forgotten Jeff in all the excitement.

"Besides glass britches, they'd starve if they tried to eat your brain." Artemis followed, Ashley chuckling at the quick comeback she had thrown Joker's way.

"See if I risk my ass for you again Quiver Girl." Artemis stormed out of the room instantly, pushing Anderson aside as he tried to get her to lay down again. "Or should I say you really know how to work an arrow...oh crap. Hi Artemis, I was just kidding with you, you know that right? Right? Oh shit, shit, shit!" The comm link suddenly cut off after that.

"Should we help him David?" M'gann asked, worry for the pilot clear on her face as she started to get up off of the bunk only to be stopped with a gentle hand on her shoulder from Anderson.

David just sighed and shook his head as he gently pushed she back down. "Let him save himself M'gann. He got himself in that mess by constantly running his mouth."

"I wouldn't worry about Joker anyway. Artemis doesn't strike me as the overly violent type." Ashley said, much to the surprise of everyone else present. "What? She could have snapped my neck at least once, but she clearly didn't want to kill me. I meant what I said when I told her she had a good teacher earlier."

"We're talking about the same girl right? Blonde hair, blue eyes, likes dark green a little too much?" Dick could describe Artemis as many things, and overly violent went near the top of his list. "She isn't exactly the gentle type."

"Twenty creds says I'm right." Ashley was eager to prove Richard wrong, M'gann and David didn't have to be mind readers to know that from the look on her face.

"You're not a very good gambler Williams, the point is to _win _money not lose it last time I checked." Dick was curious to see how many unbroken bones Joker still had anyway as he gingerly got up, and started towards the front of the ship. "You're on Nut Shot, come on, the guy _is _a wise ass, but I don't want Artemis hurting him too much. Hmm...better bring some medi-gel just in case."

Anderson tossed a tube of it to Ashley as the two slowly made their way to the helm, mainly because Dick was still sore to say the least. "What. The. Hell."

"It's your move glass ass, you gonna stare down my shirt all day or let me have your rook that's threatening my front line?" Situated between Artemis and a still very much in one piece, Joker, was a holographic chess board courtesy of their linked omni-tools. Dick just gaped at the two of them as he reached into his pocket and handed a credit chit to the smug marine next to him.

"You were saying kid?" Ashley's smirk couldn't have been wider as she tucked away the credit chit. "I call dibs on the winner. As if I don't know that Joker's gonna get his metaphorical ass handed to him."

"Keep talking Assley." Dick grumbled under his breath, hearing an assortment of giggles and embarrassed chuckles behind him. They would see who had the last laugh once things had calmed down.

"Hey, you might be a hot shot with that bow of yours blondie, but I ain't the best pilot in the Alliance because of my good looks." Joker just grinned as he took one last look at the board before deciding on his next move. The game was on, and it was only just beginning.

_Closing notes; Vergil1989; Before we get a mob of angry village people on us, Akuze and what follows is the chapter we plan to write next. The fun and games are over from here on out. We hope you enjoyed the lighter side of LY because now we go dark, real __**dark**__._

_Archer83; Anna being psychologically tortured wasn't dark? Because I thought that was pretty frakin' dark. _

_Vergil; Don't make me pull Moya over Archer. They will still have to put her mind back together. I imagine Psimon left some 'surprises' behind for anyone that tries, and as M'gann shows us in Season 2 of Young Justice, that can be a very deadly business._

_Archer83; Prepare yourselves for the horrors of Akuze dear readers. Now new and improved! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, be sure to tell us what you thought of this one!_

_Vergil; What he means to say, leave a halfway coherent review lol._

_Archer83; Be nice Verg..._

_Vergil; Oh fine. We should go... And now I sound like Shepard lol. Joking aside, we do hope you leave a review, favorite, follow, or PM us and let us know what you thought. Things are going to get pretty interesting, and we are probably only halfway through the first 'Season' if our rough estimates are correct. With how we get carried away though, that is subject to change lol._


	10. All For One

**Chapter 10; All For One.**

**SSV Diligence **

**April 4th, 2178**

**09:17 GST**

**Thirty Minutes Out From Akuze...**

"You're gonna be fine kid. I always get nervous before a big fight, and it doesn't take a mind reader to see you're having issues." M'gann looked up and saw Ashley had sat down on the bunk next to her. "Just remember who you're fighting for."

"It's not the fight I know that's coming that's made me so nervous Ms. Williams...Ash. It's what I might have to do just to get inside that worries me." She didn't know how to explain to someone that hadn't met a martian before, let alone to someone that was at least somewhat familiar with one, what it meant to use their telepathic abilities as a weapon. That was exactly what was bothering M'gann, the thought of having to hurt someone using her natural gifts that were in most cases used for communication only.

"You've never had to kill, have you?" M'gann looked up in shock when Ashley read her like an open book. It was more or less at the heart of her worry and Ashley only nodded her understanding, letting the young girl talk about it before saying anything further.

"Fighting I understand, having worked alongside my friends for so long, but my people are peaceful by nature and life is considered sacred no matter the form. I've never had to end the life of another being before, and I know that's what I might have to do if we're to succeed." Even against Kobra and his cultists, she had avoided harming anyone, although part of that had been because she had been knocked out for most of the fight at the time. Artemis had been the one to handle the dirty work when they had been hijacked. Dick had simply incapacitated everyone he fought, but today...there would be no holding back and it weighed on all of their minds. M'gann however, felt it the most keenly. She always envied Kaldur, he would simply do whatever had to be done, never regretting his actions because he had fought the longest out of all of them. The only regret she knew he had was that he had to fight at all.

She could almost hear the old speech now. "I fight because I am given no choice in the matter when it comes to those I care about. My own safety is secondary, so long as my friends and loved ones remain free and safe from those that would see them hurt." She agreed with him, but M'gann couldn't so easily dismiss taking another being's life even for that noblest of reasons.

"Ashley...if I falter in my assigned tasks, if I can't-" The marine just held up a hand to quiet the nervous girl and then lightly grabbed her shoulders.

"That isn't going to happen, you're stronger than you give yourself credit for Megan. Besides, I already promised Commander Anderson I'd be watching your back, I don't plan on disappointing him anytime soon." M'gann could only nod, starting to calm down thanks to the woman in front of her. There was...another problem though.

"There's more to it than that Ashley. I think I know who's holding her. There's only one person that has abilities that are similar to my own, and he took his to a dark place years ago. There's an old Earth saying that...fits. 'The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.'" M'gann had started to see parts of her 'dream' during the flight out to Akuze and one face in particular, while blurry and too close for comfort, kept reappearing anytime she tried to recall the nightmare. It had given her an all too familiar feeling of dread. Psimon, Queen Bee's psychic enforcer had been the cause of many horrible events back home and despite the chances of his surviving the years in this reality, it seemed he had somehow managed to do just that.

"You're worried you might end up like this 'Psimon'? Don't look so shocked, I do have ears you know. Kind of hard to sleep when your bunk mate is muttering the same name over and over again. And anyway, there's a fat chance of that happening Megan. You can't even tell a white lie without blushing. I mean, the first thing you did when you met _me _was spill your guts." Ashley smirked at the embarrassed look on the alien girl's face as she finished preparing the weapons Anderson had insisted on bringing. Williams had needed something to do and she had started putting together and running final checks on the team's more modern equipment while she talked to the martian.

"Thank you Ashley...for hearing me out." M'gann said as she met the marine's gaze and smiled gratefully to Williams. "And if you're curious as to why I 'spilled my guts' to you, it's because you kinda remind me of my uncle J'onn." Standing from her bunk, M'gann 'pulled' her own light armor over towards her and manipulated the pieces around herself until they were assembled on her small frame. She'd have to remove it later, hence why she had chosen a simple rebreather mask and O2 pack instead of a full helmet for when that time came.

"How's it going back here? I want everyone ready to go in ten minutes; this isn't a pleasure cruise." David's gruff voice belied the tense concern M'gann knew he was feeling at the moment. "You look downright intimidating Megan, it's a good look on you. I know I'm asking a lot from you, but it's the best chance we have. Are you sure you want to go through with this?" He had overheard some of the conversation between the two women and was having second thoughts about her role. He knew from her memories and from the stories the others had shared that M'gann was the least violent of their number, and that alone had made him uneasy about suggesting the plan. Now, David was faced with moral implications as well and it sickened him to ask her to continue now.

"Ashley's right...I'll do whatever I have to to save Anna, David. I've done this before, you know that, but this is...different." He didn't have to have her tell him that, but Anderson still nodded and sighed, hating to have to put any of them in this situation for his daughter.

"That's what worries me child, but I don't have to tell you how much it means to me to have your help in this." It was M'gann's turn to nod solemnly as she changed her green skin to a more Earth norm shade, knowing she'd be changing her appearance before too long if everything went well.

"Wow...that armor is really...snug, Ashley." Dick knew those words were a mistake before he even got to her name. He didn't have anything to fear from the smirking marine though, it was the icy glare he could just _feel_ burrowing into his back that had him terrified. "Hmm...it looks very protective and sturdy. Just have to grab a couple things."

"Word of advice...don't stare at a marine's ass when talking about their armor. Kind of gives you away. Corporal, please keep any beatings to a minimum on the way back." Anderson just started to whistle as he finished prepping his gear, as Richard stared at the marine with a look of utter betrayal and guilt on his face.

"I um...I should...go." Having two women stare at him at the same time wasn't as great as Dick thought it would be. He beat a hasty retreat before he wound up smeared on the wall between the archer and the no nonsense marine.

Ashley just shook her head at the brazen little bastard and spoke up before Artemis could say a word. "Don't even start, I know that look kid. He's thirteen friggin' years old, what the hell would I do with him, read him a bedtime story? Your friend Kaldur might be another story though...that boy has skills."

Artemis just grinned as Kaldur started walking into the room and immediately headed back out, his face having turned an adorable darker shade before he got out of their line of sight. "I'd take that as a compliment Kaldur!" Artemis shouted, knowing he had heard her when they heard a loud clang as if he had stubbed his toe in his bid to escape. "Ash..." She hated talking about Kaldur's past without his permission, but it was only fair that the marine knew how much they cared for the Atlantean. Ashley knew she needed to listen as all the humor left Artemis's face. "He did have someone, once. I don't know how far along their relationship was, I just know that he lost her...badly. Keep that in mind, alright?"

"Damn...I would have kept my mouth shut if you had told me that sooner. Poor kid, he's too damn nice to have something like that happen to him." Ashley had to wonder at how cruel life could be as she realized that every single one of her 'crewmates' had their own tragic little story. "All the world's a stage, and the men and women merely players."

"A marine that quotes William Shakespeare? Now I've seen everything." Artemis was starting to like Ashley quite a bit, but at the slightly surprised look on Ashley's face, the archer blushed a little as she found her voice again. "Heh...my mentor, Oliver Queen. His family's mansion has a small library. I got bored sometimes." Artemis's face scrunched up for a moment as she tried to recall a line. "Cry havoc and let slip the wolves of war!"

"Dogs." Ashley corrected without needing to think about it.

"Huh?" Artemis blinked, having sworn she had gotten it right the first time.

"It's 'Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.', god I hate it when people screw up perfectly good Shakespeare." Ashley was only poking fun at the young archer, but the fact it got a rise out of her didn't hurt either.

"Know it all wiseass." Artemis growled under her breath as she slipped on the last sections of her armor. Slinging her bow and upgraded tech quiver, courtesy of Richard's handiwork, the irritated girl stomped out of the room and whacked Richard with the quiver on her way out.

Richard looked over his shoulder and back towards Artemis, confusion stamped on his face at what had gotten up her butt this time. "What's her problem? Did I do something wrong? I mean...something else wrong?" Making sure the clamps held tight to his new armored outfit, Dick just shook his head as he made sure his utility belt was stocked with everything and anything from smoke pellets to every batarang type he and Bruce had ever thrown as he made for the cargo ramp.

Ashley and M'gann just stared at Dick for a moment before shaking their heads and ignoring him. "I see he's not as dense as your average teen after all." Ashley said as she and the martian headed for the cargo ramp, ready to get this mess over with as quickly as possible.

"Kaldur. Time to come out of hiding behind that wall buddy, we're set to go." Given what they would be dealing with in a matter of minutes, there wasn't much humor left in Artemis as Kaldur did his best to avoid eye contact with Ashley. Despite his embarrassment, it didn't take long for the Atlantean to get his head back in the game as his normally stoic expression returned to his face after donning the helmet to his own armored suit.

"Williams, help me get everyone strapped in. We're taking the shuttle down to the planet." David said as he took the lead. He couldn't count the number of times he had done so in the past, and despite what they were likely going into, it felt good to be in the field again. The only complaint Anderson had as he jumped in the pilot's chair was that the armor he wore seemed heavier than he remembered it being when he was younger. "_Getting too old for this shit."_

Ashley grinned at the seasoned marine, only to realize how new she was to this type of communication a few seconds later. "_Once a marine, always a marine; isn't that the saying sir? Even if some are a __little slower than others...shit! Sir...I will say this is many times better than radio silence, could have used this trick a few times myself."_

"_Nice try, but I still caught that smart ass remark Williams. You forgot old as dirt, by the way."_ David was quick to reply, relieving some of the tension that had started to form in the shuttle even if he was slightly annoyed with the Corporal.

"I can't keep the mental connection established if Psimon _is _on the planet. He'll find us a lot quicker if I do." Megan said a moment before she pulled the metaphorical plug on the link she had with everyone around her. Dick, Kaldur, and Artemis didn't have to have her explain that as they automatically made sure their suit radios were synced up on Richard's heavily encrypted frequency.

"I will say one thing about you Dick, you know your tech. I don't think some of our weaker military grade hacking programs could punch through this firewall." Ashley said as she pulled up the frequency on her omni-tool, impressed by the kid's handiwork. She wasn't a code jockey by any means, but it looked pretty heavy duty to her as she closed it down a moment later.

Joker's eternally sarcastic voice burst out of the shuttle's comm system. "Lowering cargo ramp now. You guys ready for the express elevator to hell? I don't suggest taking your sweet ass time, and fly as low to the deck as you can Commander. I'd hate to watch you guys get blasted out of the sky before you even get close."

"Let us hope that does not happen Mr. Moreau." Kaldur said to the pilot in agreement, but he had faith in Anderson as he nodded towards the seasoned marine from the seat next to him.

"Hey...you know what I just realized? I could fly this baby back home right now and you couldn't do shit to stop me. Toodles!" Everyone just stared at each other for a moment as the comm link went silent.

Not too surprisingly, Artemis was the first to blow her stack. "Why that weasely little mother-"

A sudden fit of laughter distracted the enraged young archer. "Just kidding. Artemis...let's not use unladylike language shall we? Good luck guys, I'll meet you at the rendezvous coordinates. Bring her out of there alive, and watch your asses while you're at it please. I'd rather not be alone up here more than I have to be. Or be the one who gets to explain all of this at my trial." While he had sounded amused to begin with, Joker was dead serious by the time he stopped speaking and cut the channel.

As soon as they were in the clear once they had broken atmo above Akuze, David had already pushed the shuttle into a steep dive. Even Ashley was beginning to wonder when the hell he'd start pulling up as he dropped them to five thousand meters before rapidly leveling off their descent. By the time they stopped dropping, dust was being kicked up by the terrain skimming craft. "Very impressive flying Commander Anderson." Kaldur nodded his approval, his faith in the man only increasing by the minute. He hadn't been worried in the least, despite having a front row seat to the fast approaching ground until David had pulled them out of their dive.

Dick, on the other hand, was still trying to slow his heart rate as Artemis was nearly breaking his fingers, having grabbed his hand half way down. Ashley grinned next to them as the archer ripped her hand away from Dick's. As he rubbed his sore fingers, he was in mild awe to see that M'gann was meditating and had missed the whole thing. "Having a nice nap M'gann?"

"No, I wasn't napping." M'gann managed a small smile as she opened one eye and looked right at him before explaining what she had been doing. "I was simply meditating. If not for Ashley getting my...worries straightened out, I might not have been able to relax enough to do it. I am glad Richard's presence helped calm you Artemis."

Artemis jerked her gaze away and tried to act like M'gann didn't know what she was talking about while Ashley chuckled at the two love birds before turning her head towards the martian. "Don't mention it kid. As I said, I got your back out there so if you get into trouble, I'll bring the pain."

"I'm flying us less than ten meters over a desert and you four are really starting to annoy me. Some silence would be appreciated." Anderson tried not to smirk as M'gann made a 'locking her mouth and throwing away the key' gesture.

Ashley's eyes lit up at the martian's sense of humor, she hadn't seen any of her sisters do that in years. "I'm pretty sure you're gonna want that back kid." She acted like she had 'caught the key' in question and 'tossed it back', getting a light hearted giggle from M'gann in the process. "I'm sure you 'read it' in my head already, but my three sisters used to do that when they were younger. Looks like we're almost there. Saddle up!"

"Yes ma'am." Dick saluted with every bit of sarcasm he could muster, as Artemis punched him in the arm.

"I want a nice clean deployment, I don't care if you only had an hour to practice it earlier." Putting the shuttle several hundred meters away from the closer of the two beacons, hiding the craft behind a large outcropping of rocks and boulders, David was surprised but impressed as everyone exited the vehicle better than most trained units of marines he had seen in his time. He hadn't expected his practice drills to be picked up so quickly, but he couldn't have been happier as he followed suit before taking the lead.

"Switching to stealth." Richard said as he touched a control pad on his belt and his armor immediately changed its coloring to match the ground they were walking on. He didn't want to drain his power supply by using his cloak too soon. M'gann simply phased out of existence while the rest of the team followed Dick's example. He did have to wonder why anyone would make a colony out here though, but his thought was interrupted when Artemis opened her mouth.

"Much better than walking around in a white and pink giant target, right Ash?" Artemis smirked at the glare she received while slowly moving towards the top of the nearby ridge. With two moons in the sky and a desolate wasteland in front of them, even Kaldur was a little taken aback by how alien this planet was to what they were used to.

"What exactly do you mean by _giant_? If we weren't on an unauthorized rescue mission, I'd gladly push you off of this ridge blondie." Ashley quickly pulled out her assault rifle as she crawled next to the girl and scoped out the base in front of them. "I count two guards out front, a hangar bay to the far west of the complex. Sniper nests every five hundred feet on the outer wall, but most are empty. Either it's a shift change or they're understaffed. Okay Megan, time for you to work your-" Ashley couldn't help smiling as one of the guards suddenly slumped over and then vanished into thin air. The other one slumped over as if stricken by a seizure before an invisible 'hand' dragged him out of sight as well. "That's my girl."

"If I can have some silence please, it would be much appreciated." Megan replied over the radio before taking a steadying breath and putting her hands on both sides of the guard's head. She was going to regret this later as she forcibly pulled every passcode, every security measure, and anything else they'd need right out of his head. The rush of information almost made the martian faint, but she held onto the hope that Anna would still be alive and pushed the encroaching darkness away before opening the comm line again. "I have access, I'm opening the door now. Give me ten minutes once I'm inside."

Ashley confirmed Megan had taken the guard's place as she saw the same man's armor on the martian as the 'guard' walked out of the place she had taken the real guards for safe keeping. "I got you in my sights Megan, good luck."

"Going silent." Now they just had to wait and pray that nothing went wrong in the meantime.

**Psimon's Mental Realm...**

"Oh what a shame...not even going to try this time? Jessica and Janice are counting on you to save them." Closing her eyes, all Anna could do at this point was try and block his taunts out as she held her legs tight against her body and shook violently. But the screams, so many endless screams, those she couldn't ignore.

She had tried quite valiantly for a while, she had even surprised Psimon a few times with her resourcefulness, but eventually he had started winning as hopelessness set in for Shepard. "You're beginning to bore me Annabell." Psimon sighed as he slit the throats of Anna's younger twin sisters yet again. It had taken some forceful digging in her brain, but he had found the sure fire way to break her. Visiting Mindoir repeatedly had done the job faster than he thought possible. The downward spiral had truly begun when he had let her get her siblings on a shuttle before it exploded.

"Surely you're willing to help little Jake here." He quickly knelt next to the terrified crying six year old boy. "You want to know a secret Jake, you were always your older sister's favorite." Psimon gently tousled the boy's brown hair, as he suddenly thought of a new angle he hadn't tried before. "Well...if you're just going to sit there shaking in your own filth, I'll just have to entertain myself some other way." With a sigh, he started breaking each of the boy's fingers, all the while grinning at the rage starting to build in Anna's eyes as the boy screamed in pain.

She had tried to fight him before and couldn't get close usually, let alone land a hit even when she did, but that didn't stop her from trying as Anna jumped at Psimon like a wild beast. She simply ended up passing right through him for her trouble, or so she thought until she noticed that her shirt was missing. He was going for this song and dance again. Anna didn't know what was worse, his sick twisted humor as he butchered her family over and over again, or the fact he took the term 'mental rape' to a whole new and twisted level. "You know...I've already enjoyed your 'body' so many times even that has lost its appeal. I think I have a new idea."

The scene reset and they were back at the family farm on the edge of the colony, but Anna wasn't in control of her body anymore, Psimon having hijacked her directly. "I think I'll let you torture yourself for a change by starting with your youngest sibling." Anna watched in horror as 'she' raised a pistol and aimed at her brother. "Ah, ah, ah...I see you trying to aim between his eyes, let's start with the knees shall we?"

Somehow she was able to fight for control of fher mouth just long enough to yell one word to her siblings, even though she knew it'd be useless. "RUN!" Tears streamed down her cheeks as she felt herself pull the trigger multiple times, the ear rattling agony filled screams were the only sound she could hear after that.

"I didn't think you had in in you to resist me at all Annabell. Maybe you have some fight left in you after all?" Psimon's praise fell on deaf ears as Shepard's psyche finally imploded on itself. Having to execute your own siblings against your will would do that to an already mentally exhausted person though. "Or not. That is too bad really, you've been the most fun I've had in ages. Now though...I might as well be torturing a corpse for all the fun you'll be to me. But, let's give it a try! What do you say Annabell?"

The vacant, dead look in Anna's sea green eyes spoke for itself as he let her collapse to the ground in an unceremonious heap. A moment later, the memories followed suit as cracks started to appear in the mental landscape. "I must bid you farewell before I'm lost in the dark with you my dear. Oh...look! You're annoying martian cub has brought friends! Too bad you broke more quickly than I had hoped, you could have had some quality time watching me torture them. And not even a twitch. I told you you wouldn't remember a thing." With an evil smirk on his face, Psimon disappeared from what was left of Annabell Shepard's destroyed mind. She was no good to anyone now, save as a hood ornament perhaps or a toy for the guards.

**Back in the real world...**

"Hey Daniels, another long shift huh?" M'gann had to stop herself from yelping in surprise as she turned her head and only grunted at the guard she had passed by. "Sheesh, you could at least pretend to be sociable asshole."

Luckily, she had made it a point to steal some of Daniels' memories as well as she stopped on her heel and turned to look at the man. "You want to run that by me again jackass? You do realize I have a bigger boomstick than you right?" Said 'boomstick' was the shotgun she had taken along with the man's armor, although her sidearm was still within easy reach. She was very tempted to use it too from what she had 'seen' inside Daniels' head, but she needed to find Anna before she went on a rampage. Thankfully the man she had threatened backed off before she forgot what she was there for, letting the martian cool off when the hallway became silent once more.

She knew Anna was being held in the 'Special Projects' section of the complex. That was two floors down and the elevator required special access just to get there. She'd pry the doors open by hand if she had to, but that would raise the alarm immediately. She was stunned when the guard at the checkpoint simply waved her through and she stepped in the lift. She knew it wouldn't let her down to the level she wanted, but she needed to disable security anyway for the rest of the team. They'd assault Special Projects together, that was the plan anyway.

The doors quickly opened to Sub Level 1 as she found herself at an intersection. The left led towards the living quarters and the armory for this section of the complex. The path in front of her led to the labs and the specimen holding tanks, where this guard was normally stationed when he wasn't at the front door every other weekend. He wasn't expected back until the morning so she didn't have to go that way. The right however led to this level's control room. She just had to upload Dick's viral software into their network and he would handle the rest. Normally it'd require that a team take all three floors simultaneously but Richard had assured everyone his program would handle the job. All other areas, except the path M'gann wanted to leave open for them, would be sealed off, trapping most of the personnel behind their own security measures and blast doors.

"And I'm telling you 'Chief', your power draw in the lab needs to be dialed down before I come down there and shut your pet project down myself. Do I make myself clear?" The uniformed man in the control room just sighed as M'gann entered. "These fucking egg heads are going to short out our whole power grid. How's it going Daniels?"

"Same shit, different day, James. How's the wife and kids?" James was one of the few people this 'Daniels' actually liked, and he appeared to be one of the few decent people who worked here. If it was possible to call anyone here decent. "Just thought I'd stop in before I got some time in the sack. Working door duty and then taking a shift tonight in the lab is gonna kill me."

"I hear ya buddy. Ever since we got some new alien DNA samples or some shit, the eggheads have been tempting a total system shutdown by running the power grid to its limit day and night with their experiments." Plopping herself down in the chair next to him, M'gann subtly looked around her to make sure one one would see her disable the two men in the room. The other guy was too focused on the systems check he was running to notice anything around him. "Would you believe it if I told you they say it's similar to that old hero from back in the twenty-first the boss supposedly killed? What was his name? He had this nickname, Man of Iron...damn that's not it...Steel! Man of Steel, takes longer to remember shit at my age. Don't get old kid, ain't what it's cracked up to be."

It took every shred of willpower M'gann had not to jump out of her chair, disable both men in the room, and rip the information out of James' mind then and there at the implication that these _people _had Connor. "I think his name was Superman, had a thing against the guy didn't he?" Her voice remained cordial but if James looked to her hands, he'd notice they were clenched into tight fists on the arms of the chair. If not for the gloves she was wearing, her fingernails would have dug into the skin of her hands by then.

"Superman! Yeah that's it, thanks buddy. Yup, Luthor always had this grudge against him. Stupid if you ask me, the guy did a lot of good, for a lot of people. Don't let anybody know, but I sometimes wonder why The Man himself would hire a guy like that in the first place. Hell, I wonder why he'd even let that freak downstairs live in that jar 'he' has to himself, but there's no way I'd challenge that fuckstick. I've seen some pretty scary shit, but nothing compares to what that guy is now, let alone what he does to people that cross him." He had seen more than one guard become a drooling vegetable when that 'thing' was done with them. Anyone that was dragged into Special Projects never came out under their own steam.

"I'll keep that in mind, now, dream about your family." M'gann had already stood from her chair, and even behind the helmet's visor, a pale green light could be seen as she started to knock the man out.

"Huh?" James' head hit his desk console before he even realized anything was wrong. The technician only had time to look confused at his snoring commander before he too was unconscious. If not for James talking her down without realizing it, both men would have wound up dead instead, a thought that scared M'gann now that she wasn't seeing red anymore as she put her hands on the edge of the console and took a moment to calm down. Several deep breaths later and she was at least able to continue on the mission as she pulled out the data drive and inserted it into the console in front of her. Pulling up the holographic keyboard, M'gann's fingers flew over the keys as she set up the remote access to Dick's omni-tool.

"I'm in. Connecting you to their local network now. Download complete, the virus is installed. You now have admin access Nightwing." She didn't have to see the little artwork he had attached to the virus on every monitor to know they had succeeded with the first phase of the plan. Dick's programming made that abundantly clear in spades as Nightwing's new symbol appeared across the complex's entire computer network.

"This is Nightwing, copy that Miss M, the Light Brigade is coming to you. We'll meet you at Sector Gamma in five." Sector Gamma ment the front lobby, just as planned. Sometimes simple worked best and was the last thing an enemy expected you to do. "Watch your head in there, the troops will no doubt be on high alert now that we've seized control of their network."

"Copy Nightwing, and I have confirmation Psimon is here. If you see him, do not engage." Her warning had been more for David and Ashley than her friends since they had dealt with the psychotic psychic many times before. Only M'gann stood any chance against him, which made her a valuable asset more than ever now.

"Roger that Miss M., going comm silent." Kaldur knew that Richard was having second thoughts with leaving M'gann alone in there with him, but he surprised him when Nightwing stood and nodded to David to lead the assault. He was only letting the marine lead because of his years of experience in full on combat in this reality, that much the Atlantean could tell from the determined look on his friend's face as they fell in behind Anderson a moment later.

M'gann dashed back towards the elevator, only to see her path blocked by two armed men. Unfortunately for them, M'gann knew from Daniels' memories that the duo had a habit of going behind their commander's back and enjoying themselves with any of Psimon's still breathing female leftovers. She ripped the helmet off of her enraged face so they could see their doom coming for them as she sent a telekinetic pulse into their midst, hard enough to leave considerable sized dents in the metallic walls. Before either man could even start to fall, she blasted them again on her way by, smashing the life out of them for good. As much as she wanted to turn them into red smears, she knew she had to get up to the first floor in a hurry.

"Did you guys feel the ground shake just now?" Artemis asked as she stumbled slightly at the sudden shift under her armored boots.

"Keep moving! Nightwing, left! Aqualad, right! Artemis, you're with me. Corporal, cover the rear." David shouted, wanting every angle covered as they stormed the front lobby. There were six guards that had gotten trapped, two of which were on a second floor balcony, when the doors had sealed themselves shut.

They didn't have time to react as one of their members took an arrow right through his transparent faceplate before his partner bit the dust when that same arrow exploded. Aqualad took an extra moment to hit his first target squarely in the heart, causing the man to die almost instantaneously as he pulled his sword free only to form another one in his other hand as he ducked the stun rod wielder that had been next to the first. Blocking an overhead swipe only to turn the weapon around in his hand, Kaldur disarmed the soldier and removed his head a split second later.

David and Ashley hit the two on the balcony simultaneously as the men's shields failed from sustained fire and fell to the lobby below. Richard hadn't been idle as he cloaked and ran for the elevator, making sure his virus held as he ran a check on its progress. "Looks good folks. Thanks for clearing the room by the way." The doors opened a moment later and he was glad to see M'gann, even if he wasn't going to ask about the blood on her armor. They knew what they would most likely have to do today, but he had hoped M'gann would have avoided her first kill a little longer.

"Everyone in now! Sub Level two if you would, Nightwing." Anderson had already raced over and held the door as the others filled the small compartment seconds later. "I take it this Psimon is bad news? Since all of you obviously know more about him than we do, this is your show. The Corporal and I will cover you four."

"I have to fight him on his plane, but if he hasn't let his powers go to waste, he'll be a lot stronger than we're used to. I'll need all the help I can get, and as much as I'd suggest you just shoot him while I keep him busy, a suggestion he'd likely and happily try against me, I don't know what he might be doing to Anna so I can't risk him dying too quickly."

"When you pit two psychics against each other, destroying their physical bodies destroys their minds since one can't live without the other. If you kill Psimon and he's linked with anyone else, you'll kill them as well." Richard was quick to explain to the two marines.

"So if you see someone aiming at Psimon, stop them before they can pull the trigger until we say otherwise. Knowing him as well as we do, he would rather take as many people down with him as he can if he can't escape and he knows he's about to be defeated." Kaldur added as the doors opened to another set of hallways. Unfortunately, Dick's virus hadn't sealed this place down as the sound of boots could be heard quickly approaching their position, and that wasn't the only problem.

It became quickly apparent that Psimon was aware of their presence as his 'voice' echoed in their minds. "_Come to play with me I see. Welcome to my humble abode dear guests. It has been such a long time hasn't it? The boy who thinks himself the hero, the fish that thinks himself honorable while his father's a traitor to the king he serves, the annoying little martian outcast who pretends she's human, and the archer who denies what she really is. What's this? You're not of this reality? Oh today has just gotten so much better!"_

"What the hell?! I'm not the only one hearing this right?!" Ashley said as Richard threw several knockout gas pellets down the hallway. That would take care of the guards at least as they foolishly ran into the main corridor only to realize too late that they had fallen into Nightwing's trap.

"_Oh...what have we here? Another Shepard? No...you're the famous David Anderson, 'hero' of the First Contact War. Your darling wife couldn't handle being all alone could she? Did she at least wait until after you failed as a Spectre candidate before finding another man, oh sorry, that was an asari she found. I wonder how many times she had 'embraced eternity' before she sent you the divorce papers?"_

Anderson's grip on his assault rifle got noticeably tighter as he did his best to block out the most unwelcome mental intrusion. "You just hope I don't get to you first Psimon, especially if you've done anything to my daughter."

"_Too late for that Anderson. The better question is, what haven't I done? And if it isn't the infamous Ashley Williams. I look forward to stripping you of every dignity, Ashley. What's this?! Virgin eh? Well I will fix that for you dear. Tell me, did your grandfather scream like a stuck pig when the turians captured him and his men when he surrendered Shanxi?"_

There were still more men to worry about, but Ashley shot a Concussive Round into their midst when she rounded a corner before hosing them down with her rifle. "You know, I am really looking forward to putting you down like the dog you are Psimon. No one insults my family and gets away with it." She had never wanted to kill someone as badly as she wanted to kill this Psimon freak.

"_Good! The more fight you put up, the more I'll enjoy breaking you. Though I doubt you'll be half as strong as Annabell...she was the strongest person I've ever had the sheer pleasure of totally destroying. She screamed you know, as I made her execute her own family during the events of Mindoir. I'm sure you'll be proud to know she also screamed for each of you to help her as I did...well let's just say ungentlemanly things to her. Or should I say, all of you did. Repeatedly."_

He had posed as them...he had posed as them and made Anna think that her own friends had hurt her in whatever twisted methods Psimon could come up with. When the words sunk in, the door in front of them didn't get a chance to open as M'gann blasted it off of its track, her eyes glowing the brightest green any of her friends had ever seen. The very air around her seemed to distort from the power that was radiating off of her, fueled by her explosive rage. Despite his own shock and rage at hearing what Psimon had done to his daughter, David didn't have to be told to stay clear of the martian as she led the way deeper into the bottom floor of the complex.

Richard was about to reach for a batarang when a cloaked enemy appeared in front of M'gann, but the trooper didn't get a chance to pull her sword as she was lifted off of the ground and was quickly compressed into a soccer ball sized mess of armor, blood, and bone. "You're next Psimon." M'gann growled in the back of her throat, knowing he had 'seen' the whole thing.

"_I'm impressed child! I didn't think you had such fire in your mind! It feels good doesn't it, to simply let go and use your natural gifts to their fullest. If you weren't so obsessed with petty morality, I could teach you so much. You truly remind me of my younger days-"_

"I AM NOTHING LIKE YOU!" The telekinetic shockwave that came out of her was enough to warp and twist the hallway as doors came crashing off of their tracks and the walls buckled and splintered. Several startled screams could be heard as more troops were also torn apart in the process. "And I will never be like you." By this point, even her close friends were shocked at the sheer rage radiating off the young woman. Artemis tried to touch her shoulder, but one flash of the martian's glowing eyes showed her that was not going to be happening anytime soon.

"_How do you think I got my start 'Miss Martian?' The path to Hell is paved with good intentions, and my intentions were the purest. Until I was ridiculed, revolted, and reviled in every form imaginable. The sad part is, you'll find that out on your own eventually, most likely sooner than you think, if I let you leave here alive that is."_

"Don't listen to him M'gann!" David shouted, the only one not terrified of her in her present state. He could still only see the compassionate young woman he had always known since the first day he had met her. "He wouldn't know kindness if it came up and bit him in the ass! He hurt Annabell, and he intends to do the same to us if given the chance." His words weren't just for her as he looked over his shoulder towards those that should have been standing beside her instead of twenty feet back like damn cowards.

M'gann's distortive effect started to die down as she regained control of herself. She still wanted to tear Psimon apart at his most basic level, but she would do it with a clear mind. Anything less and she'd lose all control over her actions. "You're right. Psimon just wants me distracted so he has a chance of defeating me. I should have known better..."

"No, we should have stuck by your side M'gann." Ashley said as she quickly jogged over to the martian girl. "I told you I had your back, and I intend to keep that promise. Sure you freaked me out with your glowing eye trick, but hey, details. Besides, if I were you right now, this base would probably be a smoking crater." Anderson nodded to his fellow marine since he had just been going say something similar to the girl. Only he realized he would have never been able to contain his rage half as well as the young woman in front of him.

Looking to her closest friends, M'gann had to wipe at her eyes as their fear of her only moments ago started to disappear, giving her their own encouragement after they had caught up with them. Dick paused a moment before speaking up. "I feel like an ass because you have every right to be pissed M'gann. Psimon needs to die, plain and simple. Let's finish this." Bruce might not agree, but as far as he was concerned, Psimon had become far too dangerous to let be a moment longer.

"I'm with Dick on this one M'gann. You just point me in the right direction." Artemis was quick to add in as Kaldur offered one of his customary determined nods. There was only one door left at the end of the hall, and it had somehow escaped being blasted off of its frame. It didn't escape twice as M'gann cleared the way and was the first to set eyes on Anna Shepard.

Physically she only had a few cuts and bruises under the clothing she had been allowed after her capture. It was the completely hollow look in her eyes, those same eyes that conveyed so much more than her words always did, that had M'gann terrified for her. It wasn't until she looked to the back of the room where a clear tank full of liquid was set up, a brain floating within it, did they figure out how Psimon had survived the years. "If I wasn't ready to completely destroy you the same way you killed so many Psimon, I'd almost pity you. I don't feel his presence in her mind anymore. He's all yours David. We'll help Anna."

"_You don't have it in you to harm me. Why don't you do us all a favor and turn that gun on yourself?"_ M'gann had anticipated such a ploy and had already established a mental shield around everyone when she had regained control of herself. Psimon was completely defenseless now, trapped in a mound of gray matter in the physical world. He knew true fear as David raised his rifle and rained down Hell on the tech which sustained him.

Only when his gun overheated did Anderson stop pulling the trigger before walking up to the shattered glass tank and glowered down at the brain, which was all that was left of Psimon. "_Mercy?"_

"Is for the weak. Isn't that what you believe?" Anderson was tempted to simply smash what was left of Psimon's physical body under his boot, but like M'gann, he didn't feel he was worth the effort any longer. Then he remembered Psimon's cheerful gloating at the delight he had hurting Anna. A cold fury gathered in his heart at the thought that Psimon had used _him _against his daughter and did who knew what while wearing _his _face that finally set Anderson off. Raising his pistol at the mass before him, Anderson all but growled in rage. "I'm inclined to agree with you." A desperate mental scream was the last anyone ever heard from Psimon as David pulled the trigger on his sidearm and unloaded on the remains of the psychic enforcer until his pistol overheated. When he was done, there wasn't a piece big enough left to fill a thimble.

"Let's get her off of this table, easy does it." Ashley and Kaldur gently lowered the ragdoll that was currently Anna off of the metal operating table after M'gann snapped the metallic clamps off of her hands and feet. Artemis had found her personal belongings in a corner of the room but was far more concerned with Shepard herself. Those blank eyes would probably haunt the archer to her death bed, but she couldn't focus on that now as she made sure everything was still present and accounted for. When M'gann got her back together, Anna would want it all back. Dick rushed over to the opposite side of the room and grabbed the gurney they must have used to bring Anna there. They quickly transferred her onto it and started towards the elevator.

M'gann had to levitate the bed part of the way due to the damage she had wrought on their way in, but when they got past the debris filled part of the hall, there was still one obstacle in their way. It seemed that most of the remaining guards had managed to override the security system in the meantime. Their commander, who M'gann recognized as James, took one look at the woman on the gurney and felt ready to throw up. Everyone behind him seemed to have a similar line of thought, having either heard the rumors of what went on down on this level or having known someone that was 'terminated' by Psimon. Even with David and those that followed pointing their weapons at them, James lowered his own first.

"Lower your weapons, they're free to go. It's over for us here." Anderson just nodded to the man as they passed each other. M'gann found herself slowing down and looking over her shoulder towards James who beckoned her out the door. "Go on get out of here! Psimon wasn't the only freak Luthor had in the base, and thanks to you our security systems are down." As if on cue, the horrendous sound of tortured metal as it was ripped away from the ceiling somewhere in the maze of passages they had just come out of could be heard. James, even behind the helmet he now wore, looked petrified as his men started to fall back slowly down the same path M'gann and her friends had taken. "Form up into firing teams! We'll buy you some time!"

It was obvious that they wouldn't be alive to wait for the elevator to return, but the men knew they were as good as dead anyway. As they formed up, Anderson lifted Anna off the gurney, pushing it out of the way and handed her over to Kaldur. Then he crammed in the rest of the team, and as many of the men that they could fit into the compartment as possible. "Move, move, move!" James nodded to the man before he snapped off the quick salute, that David returned as the doors started to close. Just as the elevator started to rise, the sound of gunfire could be heard moments before terrified, and then agonized, screams followed. They didn't get halfway up the shaft before the battle below stopped, making everyone wonder what it was that was after them this time.

"Can't this damn thing go any faster?!" Artemis had simply been the first to shout exactly what every single person crammed around her was thinking.

"I didn't think we would be running for our lives, otherwise I'd have made the damn elevator go faster, alright?!" Richard shouted back right before the bottom shook violently as something smashed against the elevator. "Oh that's just whelming!" One of the men they had saved just gave the boy a blank look. "Nevermind."

A few terrifying seconds later, the doors finally opened to the ground floor as Anderson activated his comm. "Joker! Change of plans, get your ass here on the double!"

"Oh crap...best laid plans of mice and marines huh? I'm already en route, ETA two minutes. You can thank your green buddy for giving me a heads up." Anderson could only grin at M'gann as the group ran towards the front exit. Before they got halfway through the lobby however, the elevator floor was ripped open as a partially cybernetic giant hand dug its claws into the floor before pulling the rest of the beast through. It was a tight fit, your average elevator wasn't exactly meant to carry a full sized Yahg. The monster compensated for this by widening the doorway with its augmented strength by ripping great chunks out of the walls on either side. Due to the cybernetic parts it had grafted into its body, it looked to be a far more dangerous opponent than a normal one, and Yahgs weren't the easiest enemies to take down to begin with.

The group had already scattered, not about to give the thing an easy target. One of the men towards the rear of the group wasn't so lucky as he was ripped in half by the enraged alien before he could even get a shot off. "Get outside, move it!" The lobby was too cramped for Anderson's liking as he fired blindly with his rifle, following his own advice. M'gann slowed the Yahg down, but it was too strong and too big to stop completely as she tried to slam it back with pulse after pulse from her mind. Kaldur hadn't hesitated in getting Anna out of the area, having the foresight to put a rebreather over her face before they left the base right ahead of Anderson.

"Joker to Team Insanity, I can see the base and...is that a fucking Yahg?! I guess a base full of armed guards wasn't challenging enough?" The pilot just sighed at the scene before him and proceeded to land at triple the recommended speed.

"JOKER! SHUT UP!" Artemis shouted as she covered Anderson's retreat, her hands a blur as she did her part in slowing the monstrous beast down with arrow after arrow in her tech quiver. Explosions followed electrical surges, but all it did was take out small chunks of its armored hide and flesh and overall pissed it off even more. M'gann wasn't able to keep her attacks going either as she felt exhaustion creeping over her senses until she fell out of the sky, right into Richard's arms who had seen her start to lag behind. Artemis didn't bother to keep firing as she did her best to help him carry the martian out of the danger zone, knowing they wouldn't get far at this rate.

If not for the fact it had to tear the front doors off of the base, the Yahg would have torn Artemis, Richard, and M'gann apart. "Yo crazy people! WE ARE LEAVING!" Joker frantically waved at them from just outside the hatch, before aiming a rifle and firing a short burst at their pursuer as Kaldur carried Anna passed him. The remaining guards, along with Ashley and David weren't far behind him as the two marines helped lay down cover fire as well. Richard had the foresight to drop a detonation charge behind him which the Yahg triggered once it was free of the doors, blasting part of its right hand away, but it still kept coming as it limped towards them and roared in fury.

"The three of them didn't need to be told twice as they made a mad dash for the hatch, with Ashley and David falling in behind them. David instantly noticed that the pilot was still firing to distract the massive wounded alien as he backed towards the airlock and stumbled at the last second. Before the marine could take a step, the beast reached forward to grab the injured man, and suddenly howled in rage as it lost its left hand as well to a pair of glowing blades. A moment later, as it reared back in surprised pain, Kaldur jumped out of the ship and onto its neck and chest. The same glowing blades were plunged into its head as it let out a surprised yelp of fear and fell on its back, Kaldur kneeling on its chest as he removed his swords after riding the Yahg down to the ground. With a flourish of his wrists, Kaldur dispelled his blades before turning his back to the downed creature and made his way back to the _Diligence _without a word, taking a moment to help Joker back to his feet.

"Damn...that was...really creative, Kaldur. " David just sighed in relief before smirking at the awed look on Ashley's face as she watched the Atlantean pass by just as she grabbed onto Joker before he fell again.

"Not bad for a bunch of kids, huh Corporal? I'll go check on everyone, you help our incredibly lucky/clumsy wise ass pilot here." As David quickly ran aft, Joker flipped him the bird from behind as Ashley carefully helped him over to the pilot seat. It wouldn't surprise anyone if he had more than a few broken bones after taking that hit.

"Haha, clumsy, that's _so _hilarious...but remind me to never get on Kaldur's bad side. That dude seriously scares the piss out of me now. Thank god he's on our side." Jeff grunted in pain as he sat down, but made no other complaint as he got them the hell out of there as fast as humanly possible.

"Head for the closest medical facilities Joker, we've got wounded. The Commander plans to call an orbital strike on that base as soon as we get through the relay and reconnected to the comm network." Williams had been surprised to find out that Admiral Hackett, of all people, needed to be filled in on their progress.

"Ah yeah, I know. My ass is one of the casualties." The pilot winced as he tried to get into a more comfortable position. Quickly grabbing a few painkillers out of the cockpit first aid kit under his seat, he settled in for the flight. Elysium was only three hours out at top speed once they reached the nearest relay.

"And your neck is about to join it." Artemis growled from the back of the cockpit, she and Richard having needed a moment to catch their breaths after making the run to the ship with M'gann between them. The martian was still out cold, but she was much more worried about Anna than her unconscious friend or any of her own minor injuries for that matter. She swatted the pilot in the back of the head, much lighter than she usually would though. "Nice flying wise ass, we owe you one."

"Hmm...when do you turn eighteen exactly? Just kidding! Not the face!" Joker opened his eyes to see that Artemis's fist had stopped an inch from him as she lowered her arm and glared before starting to carry M'gann back to the crew area.

"You talk like that to her again and I'll be the one breaking your neck. And thanks for pulling our butts out of the fire Jok...still _so_ creepy...Jeff." Richard nodded his thanks as he turned and caught up with the archer, helping her move their unconscious friend.

"I'm surprised she likes you so much Joker." Ashley grinned at the 'Are you kidding me?!' expression on the pilot's face. "Notice how you're not bleeding right now? Trust me, she's only nice to people she gives a damn about. Call it a gut feeling."

"If that's her being 'nice' I'd hate to see what she does when she's pissed. I am never saying a damn word to her again, just to be safe."

"Or you could just be less of an ass around her...hmm, better go with the no talking thing." The corporal gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder before heading back as well.

Things were understandably tense inside the ship. David hadn't left Anna's side after they had gotten her tucked away in the small med bay near the back, and until M'gann woke up, there was no real way to tell just how bad the damage was for sure. Richard was no telepath but he would have guessed it was pretty bad in there. She was breathing but that was about it, and Artemis wasn't the only one freaked by the look on Anna's face. It was worse than the laughing gas grin by far, as far as Nightwing was concerned anyway.

Walking towards the small med bay, Kaldur stopped when he saw Richard looking worriedly at the door. "Is it as bad as we feared?" The Atlantean asked as he put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Jerking his shoulder free of Kaldur's gentle grip, Richard started pacing back and forth the corridor. "Worse. And this waiting is going to drive me nuts. I want to be doing something for her, for David...just sitting here is gonna be the end of me though."

"And how do you think David is feeling right now about this? That is his daughter in there Richard. Don't think for a moment that he wouldn't rather be helping her right now instead of sitting by her bed, unable to do anything." Kaldur rarely showed anger, but when he did, people listened as Richard was listening now as he met his friend's stern gaze. He was right, and Dick knew he was right as he tried to calm down.

A quiet melody reached their ears a moment later as they suddenly realized David had started softly singing to his daughter. Everyone around him tried their best not to be obvious about it as they listened to his gentle voice.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are.

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky.

When the blazing sun is gone,

When he nothing shines upon,

Then you show your little light,

Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Then the traveller in the dark,

Thanks you for your tiny spark,

He could not see which way to go,

If you did not twinkle so.

In the dark blue sky you keep,

And often through my curtains peep,

For you never shut your eye,

'Till the sun is in the sky.

As your bright and tiny spark,

Lights the traveller in the dark.

Though I know not what you are,

Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

How I wonder what you are.

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

How I wonder what you are.

How I wonder what you are."

"If you're going to talk, at least keep your voices down." David grumbled without ever looking back to see that Richard and Kaldur were within earshot. They didn't have to see his face to know that tears were falling from his eyes unchecked.

Artemis sat next to Anderson and rested her head against the wall before closing her eyes. "She's lucky to have a father like you David."

**Four Hours Later...**

Joker had gotten them to Elysium even faster than his estimated time and the authorities had quickly gotten the crew an emergency transport to the main medical center in the capital. Their prisoners were loaded off in another shuttle, and no one really cared if anyone were to ask where they came from, and the group on the _Diligence _didn't care where they wound up. Oddly enough, arrest warrants that had been placed on the five of them were rescinded not long after going out. The local marine garrison had taken one look at who was leading them and decided to ignore the warrant anyway, glad at the sudden change from the monotony that had become their lot on the peaceful planet. David could have done without the escort to the hospital though, he and his charges didn't need any extra attention right now.

Any other day, they might have enjoyed the view Elysium offered out the window of Anna's private room, but everyone by Shepard's bed was too concerned with her or their own thoughts at that moment to care. The shuttle ride out to the hospital had been silent as the grave, and things hadn't improved once they had gotten inside and settled. Artemis had her knees pulled up to her chin as she looked down at the floor from the chair she had taken while David had situated himself unsurprisingly by his daughter's bedside again. Dick had gone to get something to eat for M'gann, Artemis, Kaldur, and himself.

"Physically she's fine Commander, some malnourishment and dehydration mostly. It's her brain scans that worry us. I hate to be the one to bring you bad news, but she's in a very deep coma. There is still a little bit of brain activity, but it's so miniscule that it might as well be nonexistent." The elderly woman said as she checked on Anna's vitals, nodding her head at that bit of good news at least.

"It'll be enough." Megan said as she stood up, drawing everyone's gaze to her a moment later. "Thank you Dr. Chakwas." Karin gave the young girl a strange look but didn't comment on what she had said. Chakwas had a feeling that she was better off not knowing what had happened to Lt. Shepard.

"I just wish I could do more for her. Time will tell if she improves or not. Usually if there is no recovery within the first week or two it's unknown how long a coma such as this will last. Many of my colleagues would disagree with me...but I am a firm believer that physical contact and speaking to her may help. Just have one of the nurses comm me if you need anything." The veteran doctor had a sad look in her eyes as she quietly left the room.

"It seems some things never change." Richard said as he walked in, having been listening at the door as he balanced the two heavy trays of food for his friends. "They used to say the same thing back home, and we were part of the 21st century rather than the 22nd. I guess they still haven't found a way to cure a coma." He knew this was not your average coma, but it still felt a little ironic to say it all the same as he handed out the food, starting with Artemis. It didn't take a mind reader to know they wouldn't get any enjoyment out of eating, but they needed to anyway to keep their strength up.

The sound of someone clearing their throat got Richard's attention as he mostly stared at his cold slice of pizza. "You know what I could go for right now? A hamburger. Not vat-grown. An actual honest to god dead cow. With horseradish."

"Fine...I'll be right back." Richard paused for a moment on his way out the door. "Wait...vat-grown? Do I even want to know?"

"Not really." Jeff made a shrugging motion as Dick walked out into the hall, and headed back to the cafeteria. Jeff earned a dirty look from Artemis, but she didn't say anything as she turned back to her food.

"Have you tried to look at her thoughts M'gann?" David asked, his hand already around Anna's own as he ran his thumb across the front of her wrist. The martian shook her head solemnly to his question. "It is probably best you don't until you're ready to go in there. Who knows what you'll find."

"I have to try...she would never give up on any of us, and I'm not about to give up on her." M'gann said, a determined look in her eyes as she gazed down at Shepard from the opposite side of the bed. "I might need help in order to begin fixing all of Psimon's damage. Being inside a shattered mind is extremely dangerous. The best example I can think of that comes close to what we might find left will be chaos. Pure, unfettered, uncontrollable images, sounds, smells, touch; a void with flashes of her life and very soul scattered across an endless landscape. That's the scale."

"How can you even begin to fix that?" Anderson was finally beginning to understand what had truly been done to Anna.

"By hoping there's a tiny spark of Annabell Shepard still in there, somewhere. Deep within the void. As hard as Psimon tried, martians believe that you cannot erase a person completely. The brain is hardwired into remembering everything, it just takes the right spark to tap into the hidden memories."

"I'm going with you." Everyone looked up to see the Richard had returned again as he set a tray down by Joker, and then walked over towards the bed as he gazed down at Anna. "Sorry, no horseradish." Jeff shrugged and was happy to have the hamburger at all.

If she was being honest with herself, Ashley had no idea what M'gann was talking about. That didn't stop her from understanding that the girl needed another volunteer to help. "I promised I'd have your back Megan, and I'm not going to let the fact that I have no idea how to fight the 'enemy' you're facing change that. They didn't exactly cover mental ops in Basic, but that won't stop me from storming the gates with you though."

M'gann wanted to dissuade the marine, but the look in Ashley's eyes brooked no argument. "Ashley...thank you. We can use all the help we can get. Having someone that doesn't know her like we do will keep us on the path at hand. As long as we keep believing that nothing there can hurt us, that it's all just in Anna's mind, whatever she might instinctively throw at us can't harm us. I can't say the same for anything Psimon might have left behind because he was a telepath as well, but we _can _deal with his tampering. Just as long as we believe we can."

"No one is going anywhere until you eat." David sternly said as he looked up from gazing at Anna to the rest of them. "I have no idea what you're facing, but something tells me low blood sugar and mental combat don't mix. I would jump at the chance to go with you as well...but I know I'm too close to her. You'll need everyone to be objective to survive in there."

"I will do everything that I can to bring her back David, I promise." M'gann all but whispered as she hugged the old marine.

"How come nobody asked if I wanted to volunteer?" Everyone just stared at the corner of the room where Joker was sitting in a large patient seat, and wolfing down the last of his hamburger. "Well don't everyone ask at once."

"Because as much as we enjoy your company glass ass, they need to be serious in the mental Hell a psychopathic psychic has left behind in her brain." Artemis growled as she jerked her head at the pilot. "You seriously wouldn't volunteer if you had any idea what they were heading into." Artemis could already hear in her mind what her father would have had to say if he was there at that moment. _Just like you're not baby girl. All that bluster and no backbone._

"How about you get that stick out of your ass Artemis." Joker snapped back, surprising everyone as he all but glared at the equally stunned young woman. "I might not know _precisely _how screwed we could end up, but I don't give a rat's ass. You need a quick thinker and someone insane enough to do anything to win. I volunteer." Artemis had no snappy comeback ready, no means to counter Joker's willingness to risk his life for someone he barely knew. It made her both happy to know he was brave enough to try when she wasn't and angry at herself for the same reason. _I always knew you were weak baby girl._

The four quickly ate what they had left, and drank a sizable amount of water on M'gann's warning that they might be dehydrated by the time she could get them safely back out of Anna's mind. M'gann meditated, preparing her mind for the coming task while Joker quietly talked with Ashley and the spoke up. "You cannot let anyone interrupt us David, no matter what happens. Any distraction on our part can be bad. We might become lost ourselves, or worse, if the connection is broken too suddenly we could very well die." David didn't hesitate as he locked the door right before Richard shorted out the control circuits for good measure. Only a battering ram or a blowtorch could open it now.

Joker was first of the two less experienced volunteers to speak up as Ashley elbowed him gently. "Um...so do we all hold hands and chant or something? How exactly does this work M'gann?"

"Just relax and get comfortable, try to keep your mind on the task at hand." M'gann said as she followed her own advice by pulling up the last remaining chair to the other side of Anna's bed. Resting her right hand on her forehead, M'gann's eyes started to glow a soft green. Joker, Ashley, and Richard felt a gentle but insistent pull on their psyches before they fell into what looked like a deep sleep a moment later.

"For the record, if this takes us a long ass time and you guys have to resort to cannibalism...eat Artemis first." He hadn't caught onto the fact that the transition had already been made until he started looking around. "Who turned out the lights? Um guys? Guys? Please tell me I'm not stuck in the ass end of Shepard's brain already."

"Good thing Artemis didn't hear you Joker; you do know you're completely defenseless in the physical world now right? Oops, maybe we missed telling you that part in the five minute course while we were eating."

The pilot 'jumped' when an ear rattling scream echoed throughout the dark void around him and Ashley, who suddenly appeared next to him. The fact that it sounded eerily like Shepard was not lost on Joker. A large creature of some sort seemed to be approaching them out of the blackness, and as it got closer, it got bigger, and bigger, and bigger. "What the hell is that? You seeing this Williams? Williams?"

"Get out of there idiot!" Ashley shouted, having already 'jumped' elsewhere at the first sign of trouble, unsure whatever was coming at Joker was one of the harmless things M'gann had told them about, or one of Psimon's.

"Not real, not real, not real, not real! Oh...SHIT!" Joker was 'ran over' by the thresher maw, but other than give him an eerie sensation across his astral form, he was as far as he could tell, in one piece as he 'passed through' the creature from head to tail. Blinking stupidly a couple times as he checked himself over, Joker's shocked expression turned into a triumphant if relieved grin. "I totally knew that thing wasn't real, this is gonna be a piece of cake! Why so serious Williams?" Ashley just gaped at that particularly insane event she had just witnessed before quickly composing herself.

"I see you already figured out the difference Joker." M"gann and Richard having joined them a moment later, floating over to the two. "Did you get the maw's licence plate while you were passing through its ass?"

"Sorry _Dick_, I missed it." Joker put on his best scowl as the boy grinned at him in amusement. "Any luck finding some good news in this dump? It reminds me of my academy dorm room, minus the thresher maws. The random screaming in the dark is familiar though...shutting up."

"So where should we get started ma'am err Megan? Sorry force of habit." Ashley at least resisted the urge to stand at attention in front of the martian, otherwise M'gann might have blushed as she shrugged the formality off.

"If it helps you to focus, then call me what you have to Ashley. If you need any gear or equipment, just imagine it and it should form around you or in your hands." M'gann demonstrated by closing her eyes and concentrating as a pistol appeared in her hand, which she tossed to Ashley.

"Mine is bigger than yours Williams." Joker smirked as what could only be described as a BFG appeared in his hands.

"Show off." Ashley grumbled as she 'upgraded' her pistol for her normal assault rifle, going for something more familiar than flashy like some people.

"I see that the two of you understand that lesson, so let's move on. We need to find whatever is left of Anna's psyche before we can begin to help her. Everyone, close your eyes and concentrate on her presence. Ashley, try to imagine her as best you can and think only of us finding her." Everyone had their idea of the woman, and while Ashley had only their stories to work with she had heard on their way to Akuze, she still found it easy to imagine the strong willed woman that had instilled such incredible loyalty in these people around her.

Richard was the one that 'found' her first as he heard a distant call for help. "Did anyone else hear that?! I think...everyone follow me!" He suddenly saw a faint flickering object in the distance as he took some inspiration from one of his mentors and started flying towards it, his right arm extended in front of him. _So this is what it felt like for Clark? _He looked over his shoulder to see the others copying him and quickly catching up. Joker looked downright ecstatic before he started to frown as they neared the figure Richard had spotted.

"Jesus...what did he _do _to her?" Ashley had been willing to accept some pretty crazy things in the last twenty four hours, but what was in front of her shouldn't have been alive. The sea green eyes were the only thing recognizable out of the torn and battered form that didn't even resemble a human being at that moment. It resembled someone's sick attempt at playing doctor by sticking random organs, veins, and muscles haphazardly around the whole. A distorted, writhing mound of flesh would have been closer to what they were in front of. "Oh I think I'm gonna be sick. I'm never eating red meat again if we get out of here."

"What the shit?! _This_ is Shepard?!" Joker asked as he reached out to touch the mass of living tissue but Richard slapped his hand down before he get close. "How do you turn someone into this?!"

"By being incredibly twisted. David did the galaxy a favor by putting Psimon down." Richard growled, as he knelt by M'gann's side, getting a closer look. Other than her face, which even then was distorted and twisted into a gruesome parody of its former self, he couldn't tell where one part of her started and the other ended. "Is there anything we can do for her M'gann?"

"This is worse than I expected, but I already promised David I'd help her and I am not about to back out now. There's something I forgot to tell you. My uncle once put us through a mental exercise as a safe way for the team to train in an extremely dangerous situation. Close to a day passed in reality, but we were in there a lot longer. Psimon had grown stronger in some ways and weaker in others, but this level of damage doesn't account for the relatively short time she was missing. I think she was in here for weeks, maybe months. Psimon purposely dragged this out for who knows how long." Ashley let out a long string of curses while everyone else looked stunned at what M'gann had told them.

Things were just getting worse by the second and they hadn't even started. "So you're telling me we could be stuck in here for _months_?! Cool." Everyone gave the now smiling Joker very odd looks for a moment. If anyone had been paying attention to her, they might have noticed a brief look in Anna's eyes as well, but it would have disappeared far too quickly even if someone had been looking to most likely notice. "What? Oh yeah, it's so odd that the guy with creaky legs actually likes being able to walk around, not to mention actually getting to fly! Okay, happy moment over, let's fix what this bastard did to you friend."

"I'm not able to stretch out our time here nearly that far. Even if I could, I wouldn't. Time dilation is going to be a factor however. An hour outside will be two in here. I'm going to try and stabilize her at least. If anything tries to stop me, take care of it. I have a feeling the moment I make a connection, we'll be swarmed." It wouldn't surprise M'gann in the least if a giant armada appeared in here in an attempt to stop them from helping her.

Seeing armor appear on Ashley, Dick and Joker followed suit. Of course, Joker had to try and top her by going for something that looked like it was right out of a comic book. "What? Is the red and gold too tacky? Does it repulse you? Sorry, that last one was just lame." Dick only shrugged and had an idea of his own. If he wanted to be creative, then two people could play that game.

"I always wanted to try my hand at being a GL. Since I can't get the real deal, here's my chance to imagine it at least." Dick grinned as a green glowing power battery in the form of an old fashion lantern appeared in front of him. A small green ring appeared on his right hand a moment later. "What was the oath? Oh yeah." Holding his closed fist towards the power battery, Dick closed his eyes and lowered his head. "In brightest day, in blackest night. No Evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship Evil's might. Beware my power, Green Lantern's LIGHT!" Upon completion of the Green Lantern oath, Richard had snapped his eyes open and looked up as the battery in front of him burst into radiant green light. His suit changed instantaneously as the power all Green Lanterns carried surged through him, infusing Richard with the ability to put his will into physical form. "Oh yeah, this is so epic!"

"And you just had to go and ruin the moment by geeking out kid." Despite her sarcasm, Ashley had to whistle her approval at the change. "You still have your bat on your chest by the way. Green suits you though. Screw it...time for something less boring." Ashley's armor transformed into a massive hulking set of armor, green as well, but much darker than Richard's with a golden visor on the helmet. Joker had to grin when Ashley held out her hand and a small blue holographic figure appeared there. "Ready to party Cortana?"

"_For you Chief Williams, I'm always ready."_ Ashley just grinned all the wider behind the spartan armor's helmet as she closed her hand around the butt of a familiar looking assualt rifle. A rocket launcher appeared in it's place on her back as she raised the rifle to eye level. "I could so get used to this."

"Just remember, it doesn't matter if you're using a pistol or a toothpick, it's your mental willpower that's important. And just like the real world, the mind can become exhausted if overused. We won't be able to repair the damage overnight, and things are bound to get bad in here before they get better. Are you sure you want to do this?" The solemn nods she received from everyone around her, even the strange hologram, confirmed their willingness to take the chance they might not get out of here if things went south. "Alright, be prepared for anything." Slowly reaching out her hands to what passed for Shepard's head at that moment, M'gann took a steadying breath before quickly reaching out and grabbing hold. Her eyes immediately turned green about the same time something stirred in the void.

"_Enemy contacts are closing in! They don't show up on infrared." _"Normal rules don't apply in here Cortana, haven't you figured that out yet?" "_Well excuse me for being slow on the uptake. You do realize you're talking to yourself right? I'm nothing more than a part of your subscious." _"Did I just insult myself?" "_Yes. Get ready chief! Switching to alternate sensors."_ The distinct sound of the motion tracker from the film Aliens filled the air.

"Oh you gotta be fucking kidding me! Really?! I'm having a serious talk with her subconscious when we're done!" Joker was glad he had picked a more mobile set of armor, at least until he saw that the enemy was coming at them from all six directions. The normal laws of physics didn't apply in this realm, a fact he had already forgotten as he could see hundreds of xenomorphs climbing right up underneath them as well as from above.

"Keep them off of M'gann!" Richard shouted as he led the charge, really regretting his decision to play that prank on Garrus now that he was facing down a literal army of the things. Someone was having a good laugh at his expense he was sure as Dick formed his first construct from his new ring. "Let's see how you like this!" Grabbing hold of the twin curved swords he had created, he made sure his energy shield was up around himself as he closed ranks with the first of the aliens in front of him. He'd rather not find out that these aliens' acid for blood still worked as he sliced one in two right down the middle before removing the head from a second on his way by.

"Time to get some!" Ashley shouted as she mowed down anything that got within fifty meters of M'gann, before pulling the launcher off her back and knocking out a dozen more of the swarming creatures with one shot. "Why the hell am I using this thing?" Ashley tossed the rifle aside completely as a crate of launchers appeared next to her a second later. "_Now you're talking."_

"Our situation is looking a little...stark...damn, that still sounded lame." Joker grumbled, but he couldn't have had a bigger grin on his face as he grabbed a xeno by the tail and dragged it behind him before using the alien as an improvised club, sending several of its fellows flying into the distance.

"You forgot to play the Who song at the end Joker." Richard said as he fired a concentrated beam of green energy at a group that had gotten a little too close for comfort to M'gann before a giant missile launcher appeared on his back. "Fire in the hole boys!" A dozen construct missiles shot out of the launcher Dick had formed, seeking out anything that was trying to eat them before exploding upon contact. Dozens of xenomorphs fell, giving the team room to breath for a few minutes at least. Unfortunately for Richard, that last attack had cost him as he felt sluggish when the smoke cleared. "That...might have been overdoing it a bit."

"Remember what Megan said Dick, we need to pace ourselves." "_Like a good lover." _"Shut up Cortana!" It was a shame that Joker and Richard missed the rare opportunity to see Ashley embarrassed as she blushed under her helmet. Her attention was quickly focused on the larger alien approaching them, a Queen. "_You know you want to say it Chief." _"Stop bothering me Cortana!" "_Then say it Chief." _Ashley just sighed, and a battle cry roared out of her throat a moment later. "GET AWAY FROM HER YOU BITCH!" "_I knew you had it in you."_ Ashley ignored her as she charged the Queen down, planning to use her augmented strength the Mjolnir armor afforded her as she slammed her shoulder into a xeno that got too close before jumping into the air.

The Queen was a split second too slow as her tail tried to smash into the 'Chief' while she was airborne, and instead wound up with Ashley on her back before her fists started to pummel into the creature's head while her legs clamped down on her sides. "Come on, come on!" No matter how wildly the Queen bucked, Ashley held on as yellow 'blood' flew in all directions as she literally bashed the Queen's brains in with her armored fists. Once she was sufficiently weakened, Ashley made a plasma sword appear in her hands before driving the weapon through the Queen's neck and out the front, severing her head from her body.

Only after the creature had fallen did Ashley notice her armor was full of holes from the same acid that had been flying everywhere. It instantly disappeared around her as did Cortana, leaving Ashley weakened significantly due to her own stupidity. "Damn...shouldn't have gotten lost in the moment."

"Don't worry guys, I got us covered. Also, you chose a friggin plasma sword over a lightsaber...I just can't understand you at all Williams." Joker said as he hovered directly above and a few feet behind M'gann as he fired one repulsor blast after another until too many enemy contacts closed ranks on them. "Great, guess I gotta bring out the big guns. Everybody down!" A bright red beam shot out of each of Joker's armored hands as he swept them over the onrushing horde of enemies. Everything they touched was sliced down in a blink of an eye, their cuts cauterized instantly and thus, there was no fountains of acid to worry about as Joker lost his armor before taking a knee from using his big finish. "I'm finished here guys, let's hope M'gann has some good news."

"I need more time!" M'gann shouted back, making Joker wish he hadn't opened his big mouth immediately.

"Damn...I wanted _good_ news M'gann. Well we're boned. It's been fun guys. Wait a minute...idea! Ashley, remember that book you wouldn't shut up about when I kicked your ass at chess? We need that crazy ass weapon they gave that little kid...Finisher."

"You liked a book about giving children weapons?" Dick looked a little nonplussed by the odd looks Ashley and Joker shot him as he swept his ring's beam over more of the enemies until he too was forced to power down. "Point taken." He said as he figured out how ironic his situation was, let alone his life before this.

"The kid's name was Ender, and he didn't know he was using actual weapons." Both of them just gave her a blank stare as she threw her arms in the air. "Did neither of you ever read any classic sci-fi novels?!" Ashley closed her eyes and a moment later, a large turret looking weapon appeared next to her. "God I hope this works. Fire in the hole!" She quickly hit the big obvious red button she had imagined and an arcing blue energy blast hit a section of the tightly packed enemies a moment later.

"Well that wasn't very whelming at all..." In Richard's opinion, Ashley had made a glorified bug lamp, but he was about to be blown away if the grin on Williams' face was anything to go by.

"Wait for it." As the smug looking marine crossed her arms, Joker just shook his head in disappointment. His eyes snapped up as the energy blast Ashley had fired started to spread throughout the enemy, arcing from one to the next even while it obliterated them. Soon, all they could hear were dying alien screams as the field of destructive energy grew and grew, finally encompassing the entire sphere of aliens around them and then ceasing to be shortly thereafter. "Say hello to the Doctor Device, otherwise known as the MD, the Molecular Disruptor if you want to get technical." Right after she said that, Ashley collapsed to her hands and knees, sweat falling from her forehead in buckets from that last attack. "I got nothing left. This...mental shit is...worse than my days...in Basic."

"We're heading back, so you won't have to worry Ashley." M'gann said as she slowly stood to her feet, also showing clear signs of exhaustion as she wobbled but managed to stay standing before she made her way to her friends. "She might not look like it, but Shepard is a little better than stable now."

Suddenly, the dark void around them changed into a picturesque green field with gently rolling hills and a small farm nearby. The sky was cloudy and looked like it could start raining at any second, but it was a far sight better than what it had been before. Anything would have beaten the endless void it had replaced. "M...gann. Ri...chard. Tha...thank...you." The horrible looking mass managed to say, looking a fair sight better than she had before, but she still had a long way to go before she was ever normal again. "Still...hurts...but better...now." Despite how hard it obviously was for her to speak, she persisted in trying. It looked as if it brought her physical pain to use her mouth, given the way she paused and chose her words, and it hurt just to hear her, let alone to look at how hard she tried to make herself understood.

"It's good to see you Anna." Richard said, near tears at seeing what had been done to her as he knelt beside her, his green lantern outfit disappearing as he gently touched her tear stained face.

"Li...ar." Anna replied, a hint of amusement breaking through as she pulled away from Richard's hand. "I...don't need...a mirror...to know I...look...like shit."

He looked down at the grass, hating seeing her so miserable, but it gave him a reason to keep fighting. A plan was starting to form in Richard's head as he looked up again. "We'll come back Anna. Just hold on a little longer."

"Not going...anywhere." The tiny hint of humor in her eyes gave them more hope than destroying an entire army of mental constructs had. "Sorry for...alien...infest...station...Psi...mon...humor ...for you."

"Ssssshhhh, rest now Anna. You're going to need it." M'gann whispered as she wiped at her own tear stained eyes with her arm. "As long as we don't try to help her further, nothing can hurt her in here. I made sure of that while I was fixing the damage. But we can't stop coming here on a regular basis or my blocks won't hold under the pressure. The more we manage to repair, the longer the breaks we can take. I give this place two days, real time, at best before we have to start from square one."

"Then we go in shifts, for as long as it takes." Richard stated in a tone of voice that no one had it in them to argue with. Besides, he had almost sounded like Anna in a way, making them want to follow him even if he did end up leading them into Hell. "And just so you know, I plan to stay. Don't even think about arguing with me M'gann."

"You...stealing...my thunder...Bird Boy?" Anna asked, getting a sad little smile from Richard as he nodded. "You've...grown up...gotten...so strong. I know...you can...do it."

"Damn right Anna." Dick managed a grin as he looked over his shoulder. "And it's not Bird Boy anymore, it's Nightwing."

M'gann wasn't going to even try, but she did have to warn him of the dangers. "You can rest in this space I've shielded Richard, but leaving this area will expose you to whatever's outside. I'll try to keep an 'open line' to you if things start to fall apart, but don't try to do anything on your own. Also, any memories you see can't be changed, no matter how much you might want to try. You'll just end up tiring yourself otherwise." Richard nodded and was about to say something when M'gann beat him to it. "Try to keep giving Anna hope; talk to her, anything you can do to keep her focused on what we're doing for her and not...what happened."

"I'm...right here...you know. I...can still hear...just fine." None of them remembered later who started laughing first as the teary eyed group said their goodbyes before M'gann pulled Ashley, Joker, and herself out of the area, leaving Anna and Richard behind. Sitting down beside Anna's still heavily distorted and tortured form, Richard laid back in the grass and hoped Anna was right about him having the strength to save her. As if reading his mind for a change, he looked over his shoulder towards the farmhouse and saw who he could only assume were Shepard's siblings, waving cheerfully at him. He couldn't make out any details because they were faded out almost like they were barely there, but her effort wasn't lost on him or her intent for that matter. "You're...not alone...Richard."

Dick was astounded at the fact Anna was trying to comfort _him_, but a sly grin came over his face a moment later. "That's my line Anna. Who's stealing whose thunder again?"

"Richard? Shut up." She managed a weak smile as the sun broke through the stormy sky. Things were looking up already.

_Closing notes; Vergil1989; I think I have a much better respect for the power of the mind after this messed up chapter..._

_Archer83; I think I have something in my eye...why did I chop onions while we wrote this again?_

_Vergil; Please, I got teary eyed by the time we finished and I'm able to admit it, unlike some people here._

_Archer83; Onions. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. We hope you enjoyed this dark and twisted chapter. I assure you, things __**WILL**_ _get better. Now you know why we skipped ahead to 2182 for chapter 8. No point in torturing you after all, more than we have already anyway._

_Vergil; The storm has only arrived, but it will pass. We just have to get through the worst of this before we can see the path again. The 'burning forest' will make an early appearance, minus the star brat of course. In the meantime, please review, favorite, follow, and send us suggestions guys and gals._


	11. A Morally Bankrupt Guest

**Chapter 11; A Morally Bankrupt Guest**

**Corbulo Memorial Hospital, Elysium**

**April 9th, 2178**

**16:53 GST**

Mental combat was, in a word, exhausting. It wasn't just exhausting because one had to rely on their mental prowess in the fights they endured to free Anna from what Psimon had done to her. They knew she wouldn't be the same even after they were done, but it was because the mind recovered slower than the body. Their idea to work in shifts had been good on paper, but the cumlulative effect on all their minds was getting to be a major problem. Everyone that had gone in was noticeably more irritable and sluggish after 'coming back' that first time. By round four, only David and Richard were bearing the severe stress with any sort of composure. They needed reinforcements, but they had nowhere to go for them. Artemis hadn't gone in once, and M'gann wasn't the only one nearing the edge of her patience with the blonde archer.

Just as she was about to say something about Artemis' absence in the latest session, Ashley spoke up first. "Everyone's thinking it, I'm just saying it, but we need help. That last swarm was organized, stronger, and we barely got out of there. Who's idea was it to let her watch Dawn of the Dead anyway?"

"That was...mine." Anderson said, mildly embarrassed that his second time in his own daughter's mind had resulted in a zombie outbreak, so to speak. "It was her first birthday with me." Was his simple reply, but it explained a great deal. "As for getting us some reinforcements...I've looked into that already."

As if on cue, everyone perked up when a familiar double harmonic timbre filled their ears. "Wow...all of you really look like crap. I take it you weren't kidding when you said you a had...'an extremely odd and dangerous situation'? Well guess what I brought? Cannon fodder! I mean...brave volunteers."

"We heard that Vakarian, err sir." Kaldur's interest was particularly piqued when he recognized the voice of one of his friends from the Academy. "Hey Kal, good to see ya bud." The young man that pushed his way past Garrus immediately grasped Kaldur's hand in his own, the action clearly showing the others that they were good, if not close, friends. "Sheesh, Garrus was right, you look like shit pal."

"Thank you for stating the obvious Kevin. You at least look as good as the day I left. How is your step sister, Aya?" Kevin was almost as tall as the Atlantean but where Kaldur was muscular and always appeared to have a thoughtful, stoic expression on his face, Kevin always appeared to be laughing at some hidden joke. With slicked back brunette hair and a small goatee on his otherwise smooth face, Kevin's hazel brown eyes were also perpetually shining with that same hidden amusement. Few things could dampen his spirits, even when he had every reason to be a sour puss.

"You can always ask me yourself Kaldur'ahm." A smiling asari with a cheery twinkle in her bright green eyes pushed past the human cadet as she gave Kaldur a light hug. "Garrus told us everything that's happened. I'm sorry, we got here as fast as we could." When they were face to face again, Kaldur saw that she had been given white facial markings since their last meeting, signifying an important event in her life had taken place in the last couple weeks. "If you keep staring, I'll start to think you're interested in me Kaldur...I might just keep you."

Ashley had to bite her tongue to stop herself from snickering at the blush that overtook Kaldur's face as he tried to look elsewhere. "That was not my intention, your new markings are quite striking Aya."

"Graduated recently, so I figured why not? I felt like celebrating properly. And no, that does not mean I went to a strip bar, despite my brother's rather loud protests." The shorter asari nudged her brother in the arm as he shrugged.

"It was worth a shot. How was I supposed to know you'd be so...stoic like our friend here." Kevin just grinned at the piercing glare he received.

"We are simply above things like that Kevin." Kaldur's face sported a small smile at his own little joke, diffusing Aya's bad mood a little at the same time.

"Aya...you're almost two hundred and fifty years old, and you're certainly not getting any younger. I mean _that _long without any-" A flash of biotic energy around Aya's body interrupted her brother's snarky comment.

"You do know I can kick your ass with one hand behind my back right?" The dangerous look on Aya's face should have been enough warning for most people to quit while they were ahead and still able to walk, but Kevin kept going.

"So you're saying I'll be embracing eternity if I piss you off?" The grin slowly faltered on his face as Aya stepped up to him menacingly and tapped him on the chest with a glowing finger. Kevin ended up falling to his butt against the far wall. "Okay! I get the point already!"

"Good, I wouldn't want to explain to our parents why you were beaten black and blue." Anderson had to grin at the caring look in her eyes, even as pure annoyance radiated from the asari.

Ashley had to give the kid credit, he wasn't easily intimidated as Kevin made the mistake of opening his mouth yet again. "On the plus side, we'd definitely look more related."

"Goddess, give me patience. I suggest you stop now while you can still talk." For Kaldur, it was just like old times, and it made him quite glad that Garrus had brought them to the fight. There were few people he invested as much trust in as his old friends, but Kaldur had taken an almost instant liking to Kevin and Aya once he had joined the Academy in the early days in this reality.

After pulling himself back up, her brother tugged at his sister's arm as he got his first look at Anna. "I take it that's who's in trouble?" Even his perpetual grin faltered a little when he met Anna's gaze. "Sheesh, so we're going in her head and undoing the damage done by a mad psychic? If I didn't live in an age of spaceships and Mass Relays, I'd call bullshit." Aya slapped her brother on the back of the head for his rudeness, earning her a playful if slightly irritated scowl.

"Um excuse me? Hi, Richard here, but who are you two? I appreciate the help Garrus, but you could have at least asked first before bringing in outsiders dude." Dick raised his hands in exasperation before slapping them back down on his legs. David shot the young man a look but said nothing as he continued to rant. "Why don't you just parade half the colony through here too while you're at it? And Artemis, you haven't been in there once so don't even say anything about this." Artemis could only look down as both of Kaldur's friends and Kaldur himself looked to the youngest in the group in shock.

Fortunately, Kevin didn't seem offended as he all but slid over to Artemis' chair. "If you're afraid, beautiful, I'm sure I could protect you-" Kevin had a hard time saying anything else, with Artemis choking him in a headlock a split second later. Aya stepped in and had separated the two by force as she Pulled her brother out of the archer's hold and attempted to Throw Artemis into the wall, only to have her hand twisted behind her back by the archer herself. She was a well trained fighter however, and was a lot older than she looked as she slammed her head back into Artemis' face, forcing her to let go. "I like this girl!"

Everyone just stared at Kevin for a moment as Aya casually tossed Artemis a small towel for her nose. "You fight well, for a human. Not many of your species do, that I've met anyway."

"Considering she just graduated from the commandos a couple weeks early, that's a Hell of a compliment." Kevin's pride in Aya was palpable as he beamed at the asari next to him.

Artemis was still glaring at the asari and her brother while she pinched her broken nose to stop the bleeding. "Your ister ounds ike a itch. Ights...etty ood ough." She grudgingly admitted, hating to admit anyone was stronger than her, but as Dick had said earlier, she had no right to complain. Aya decided to ignore Artemis's rudeness and focused on her compliment instead.

"Coming from someone as obvious loyally as...is that an actual working bow and quiver? I thought your race stopped using those centuries ago?!" Artemis swatted at the curious asari's hand as she went to touch the items which were leaning against a wall right by her seat. "Okay, okay. I get the point. No touching your archaic weapons."

"Starting to wonder if she even deserves them." Richard muttered under his breath but regretted it when M'gann glared at him. Part of his problem was the mental exhaustion they were all feeling, but part of his anger was because Artemis had avoided every trip thus far and it was getting tiring. "I'm sorry but everyone else in here has risked their lives while she hasn't joined us once, not once. She's always conveniently absent and you refuse to tell us why M'gann!"

"You're not the only one that's tired Richard, but don't take it out on me or her." M'gann all but growled as she stood from her chair fast enough to make it scrape across the floor.

"That's it!" Artemis tossed her bloody towel at Richard and glowered at the tired boy. "I'm going next time, you happy?! And when Sportsmaster decides to drop in, you can blame me for what happens!" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them and Artemis could only open and close her mouth as what she had just shouted to everyone started to sink in for her. Richard felt like an ass, needless to say when he put the pieces together at last.

"Sportsmaster? Sounds like a chain of fitness stores." Aya elbowed Kevin in the ribs before he could say anything else, and tersely whispered to him a moment later.

"That was the name her father used as a thief and assassin you dumb ass! Didn't you read anything in that file Garrus gave us?" The irked asari just rolled her eyes at the blank look on her brother's face.

"I might have...skimmed through it." Which translated into he had completely forgotten to do it, much to Garrus's and his sister's annoyance. It was amazing he had made it as far as he had at the C-Sec Academy. To put it in his own words, he loved to fly blind, and given his genius intellect, he was able to get away with it. His personality threw people off their game until the truth came out about Kevin's intelligence, and more than a few people were glad he had chosen to become an officer rather than something less savory. Like being the only genius level offender in midwest North America; a joke the cadet was familiar with, and he always had a snappy comeback handy. 'How could I be an offender if I never get caught?'

Artemis meanwhile had fallen back into her seat and pulled her legs tightly against herself while Richard remained looking across the room at her in shame at saying what he had to her. "She'll go when she's ready and not a moment sooner." David gently put a hand on the girl's shoulder as she stared at the floor.

They had three fresh volunteers, but there was something else that required Artemis be at her fullest potential when she did go with them. Anna wanted her to come, and somehow failing that complete confidence in her, more than anything, was what truly terrified Artemis. _If you were a man I'd tell you to grow a pair baby girl. The best I can come up with is grow a backbone, and you can't even do that._

Ashley had mostly been trying to get some rack time as she forced herself to get up and started explaining the basics to the FNGs. "Get comfortable you two. Garrus, you can join us this round as well if you want to. Think of it like a guided tour...with multiple chances of getting hurt. M'gann, I got your back out here." The martian nodded as her eyes started to glow green, and Kevin, Aya, Garrus, and Artemis promptly passed out a moment later. "Good luck in there you guys."

"I never get used to seeing that. Maybe I should-" Ashley pushed David into a chair before he could finish his thought.

"Sit your ass down and get some rest. Sir. I'm sure they'll do fine, besides, this type of combat you can't train for, it's either sink or swim." Anderson merely nodded as his gaze turned back to Anna. He hoped the Chief was right, he felt bad enough about risking them as it was. No one saw the shadow of a man pass by the door to Anna's room before moving on without a second look. He had other business to attend to.

**Anna's mental landscape.**

"A farm...I'm terrified. What, are the cows going to attack us? Maybe the chickens? Oh I know, the sheep are going to go all werewolf on us!" Aya again had to smack Kevin across the back of his head to get his mind back on the situation at hand. "I really hate it when you do that."

"Look at the sky Kevin. How many moons do you see? That puts us where? Oh right, you didn't bother to read the data Garrus put together. Let me spell it out for you. This is Mindoir...oh so you're finally catching on now?" The semi-permanent wise ass grin on Kevin's face fell away as he stared at her in shock.

"_That _Mindoir? She's a survivor? Sheesh, no wonder that bastard was able to get to her." Looking at the twin moons in the sky, Kevin's opinion of Anna Shepard skyrocketed as he glared at his sister. "And just so you know, I did look at the file, mostly on what it said about our own personal fish out of water."

"Kaldur would probably shake his head at you for saying that Kevin." M'gann smiled as she appeared beside the two with Garrus and Artemis beside her. "I should warn you...she is doing better, but let us say that Ashley has sworn off red meat after seeing her the first time, and I cannot blame her. The damage you see is merely a mental projection of what Psimon, the mad psychic as you called him, did to her."

"Hey, I can take it. I'll just be as nice to her as possible while I heroically help you guys out." Kevin had yet to see the horrors that the others had faced. If he had an inkling of what was ahead of them, he would've been less worried about how 'fun' this all might be and more concerned about simply surviving it.

"Don't be too sure Kevin. If M'gann says it's bad, then it's probably pretty bad." Garrus replied, hoping it really wasn't as he waited for their own resident telepath to move things along.

"This guy is going to be the end of me, isn't he?" Anna asked as Joker pulled up to them on a futuristic looking tractor with Anna riding on a trailer behind it. "Did you really have to pull me through the cornfield Joker? Now I got damn corn husks sticking out of me in very strange places."

Jeff waggled his eyebrows at Anna as she just sighed at his eternal sarcastic nature. "You sure know how to get a guy excited Shepard. And yes, I had to do that. It was the only place I hadn't taken you yet, and going back and forth over grass gets a tad boring after the seventeenth trip. Oh look...city slickers, welcome to Hicksville, population...us."

"Joker, I don't know whether I should kiss you or strangle ya for that remark." They never got a chance to find out what she would have decided upon as Kevin took one look at Anna and had to turn away just as he threw up all over his own feet. "Fucking new guy M'gann? Who's idea was this anyway? Don't worry kid, I won't take it personally. Much."

"By the goddess Athame. What...I don't even...are you sure you're still human? I'm sorry...we were warned, but I'm sure I don't have to tell you that seeing is believing." The mound of flesh that was Shepard simply cocked an eyebrow towards the startled asari. It wasn't everyday someone could surprise or startle one of the blue skinned aliens so quickly.

"So...this is the best the asari commandos have to offer nowadays? Just screwing with you, but if you can imagine it was a lot worse when we started, then I'd worry about your sanity. Suffice it to say, this is one of my better days." Aya could only blush and look away, not out of disgust, but out of shame for reacting as she had. Still, the brave woman's humor helped to relieve some of the young commando's negative emotions on the matter.

Kevin wiped at his mouth and finally brought himself to look Anna in the eye. "I...um...I apologize ma'am for my reaction. The real you...normal you...whatever, is pretty easy on the eyes."

"Too late, you already puked. Flattery will get you nowhere kid. And if you _really _want to piss me off call me ma'am one more time. Shepard or Anna will do...or Her Royal Awesomeness...Joker came up with that one." Joker chuckled embarrassingly as he looked between Shepard and the group he had stopped in front of. "Hey, it made me laugh, that's the important part right?"

"I think I forgot something...outside. M'gann?" Joker wanted to get out of there before he made a bigger ass out of himself. Knowing him, that would be any second now. Anna was the first to notice the guilty look in his eyes as M'gann prepared to 'push' him from her mind.

"Hey, don't worry about it Jeff. Thanks for sticking around this time. And...sorry for the whole...Mindoir thing." She didn't have to be a mind reader to know that Jeff didn't want to leave, even if he hated being there and seeing her in her present state. He felt bad enough if he didn't get to stay for as long as he could, and Shepard knew it. Although, most everyone felt the same in that regard.

As for the 'Mindoir thing', the newcomers were about to find out as Jeff said his goodbyes and disappeared. M'gann felt it coming before anything actually started to happen. "This will be highly unpleasant, but know that it's just one of her memories. You don't have to watch if you don't want to. I'm sorry, but I can't dull the rest of your senses to what you're about to experience."

"You forgot the important part M'gann...don't try to change anything because you'll just wear yourself out." Aya felt a shiver go up her spine at the pained expression on Shepard's face, she was obviously more concerned about them than her own well being at that moment.

Even Artemis, who knew Anna better than most, wasn't prepared for what followed as the sky wavered as if hit by a heat wave of some sort and the area changed around them. When the main colony appeared around them, it became quickly apparent that the area was under attack as buildings fell right along with innocent bystanders as dozens, possibly hundreds of people ran through the group like a literal horde of ghosts.

Aya tried to grab her brother as he ran towards the batarian slavers, determined to help the screaming people around him no matter what Shepard herself had told him. "Kevin...stop! It won't do any good!"

"You bastards!" Kevin went to punch a batarian in the head as the slaver started to implant a control device on a young crying girl. His fist just went through the batarian as if he was made of mist. "GOD DAMMIT!" Kevin just fell to the ground after several more unsuccessful attempts at helping even one of the colonists.

"How do you think Anna feels? She's had to watch this over and over again." Artemis said as she pulled the young man to his feet before Aya got there. Looking at the woman a moment later, the archer had to ask. "How...how many times have you had to watch all this...Anna?"

"I would have lost count a long time ago, but everyone who stays kept a rough number going. The last one Joker had to watch makes it almost seventy-five. I do get the occasional happy memories in the mix as well...but most times...it's this. If you ask how many times Psimon made me watch this though...or rather how many times he twisted it...that's a whole other affair, one I will never talk about willingly."

Kevin just slumped to the ground with tears in his eyes as Aya did her best to calm him down. After the last of the screams had finally faded away and a peaceful air returned to the landscape, the look on his face hardened. As the 'heat wave' struck again, the farmhouse returned, restoring them to where they had originally started, but Kevin's face remained the same as he pushed his way to Anna's trailer. "No more games, just tell us what we need to do."

"Let M'gann get up here then kid. Things are about to get real interesting real quick." Anna replied, able to look Kevin in the eyes with that same serious look that she was so well known for among her friends and family.

"Define interesting...no wait, let me guess. We'll be fighting for our lives, and yours, right? Big damn hero stuff?" The wise ass smirk was back in place, but Kevin's eyes retained the more serious look that had just been on his face.

"More or less." Anna replied, doing her best impression of a shrug as she looked to M'gann who had taken a seat before her. "Be careful M'gann. I have a feeling this isn't going to be nearly as easy as before. Call it a gut feeling." Something about the last 'round' had felt too easy to Anna, even as the martian was probing around in her metaphorical skull. They had faced running zombies perhaps, but the team had made short work of them. It had been a far easier run than their first go around with the xenomorphs anyway.

Before M'gann reached out to touch Anna, she looked towards the others. "Since we have no way of knowing what is going to happen...I can only tell you to expect anything and everything."

Garrus at least was as witty as ever. "Well that certainly boosted my confidence, thanks M'gann." Even Aya was starting to appear nervous as the turian chuckled lightly before giving the asari and Kevin a dead serious glance. "You two hold the line, no matter what. Consider this your first pass or fail field exam."

"Officer Vakarian, that might be a problem." Aya said as she looked to Artemis as a ghostly image started to manifest behind the young archer about the same time that M'gann established the connection. They all knew who it was as Artemis turned around only to receive a backhand by the man that called himself her father at the exact moment the first of the new enemies appeared on the edges of the farm. It didn't remain the farm on Mindoir for long as the area transformed into a barren wasteland. The ground looked scorched of all life as a tremendous blood curdling roar reached their ears.

"I knew it wasn't going to be that easy! What the Hell are those ugly fuckers?!" Anna shouted, her own eyes a pale green from the connection she had with M'gann. They couldn't separate until at least some of the damage had been reversed. Or rather, M'gann wouldn't separate from her until she had helped Anna to at least some degree. And there was another problem, as Garrus and those not preoccupied with their personal demons were about to find out.

The ashen grey skin, the mostly black armor, the animalistic expressions on all of the creatures' faces. It all pointed to the same thing and it did not make Aya happy to see them. "Darkspawn! Do not let their blood mix with your own at any cost!" She didn't know if the taint all Darkspawn carried in the games would work the same in this mental realm, but if she had created them because of her fear of them, then Aya didn't want to take the chance all of their normal powers and abilities were the same.

"Don't let the huge nasty looking freaks bleed on you, good tip sis. Um...where's my gun?" Kevin asked as Garrus had a similar issue when he tried to bring out the weapon he was most familiar with only to come up empty. Something or someone was blocking their attempts at creating weapons to defend themselves.

"Ah, ah, ah. You simpletons didn't think I would let you fix my broken little toy so easily did you? I took the liberty of placing exquisite traps like this in your friend's mind. Do try to enjoy yourselves, until you end up a shaking broken mess of consciousness...like she did. This message is brought to you by Psimon!" The man himself that had appeared was merely a pale shade, a remnant of the enforcer left behind for the very purpose of revealing one of the traps he had left behind. With an exaggerated bow, the image quickly faded away, leaving the FNGs staring at the empty spot of ground.

"I have to give Psimon points for one thing baby girl, he always did have a big mouth. Now, where were we?" Artemis was just a hair too slow blocking a punch to her gut from her father as she doubled over in pain. "Always the disappointment, baby girl. You could never win in our little sparring matches, it's better if you just stay down."

"SPORTSMASTER!" Anna shouted, her own mental projection floating through the air with a biotic glow. She didn't hesitate in running the 'man' down as she slammed her elbow into Artemis' mental projection of her father. He easily avoided the attack but it got him away from Artemis for a moment at least. It was a risky move with M'gann still fumbling around in her brain, but Anna wasn't about to sit back and let the man abuse her further. With Garrus and the rest of the team trying to decide what to do first, Anna made it easy for them and put up a Barrier around herself, M'gann, 'Sportsmaster', and Artemis. "Hold back the swarm, I'll handle this bastard!"

"Looks like Jabba the Slut has some fight left in her after all, eh? You sure know how to pick losers, baby girl." As if to purposely enrage Shepard even further Sportsmaster slammed his boot into Artemis' ribs as she fell to the ground. The man just shook his head as his daughter gasped for breath and then smirked at Anna. "Come on Ugly, you're next."

"I'm gonna enjoy making you scream. No one touches Artemis like that and lives!" Anna shouted as she created a biotic Shockwave. She didn't expect it to hit the mark, but it did force Sportsmaster to move to the side where Shepard was waiting for him with a Warp blast. He was forced back into her Barrier when the Warp detonated, and she was rewarded with a choked back scream from the bastard as he hit the dirt.

"Not bad for-" The man didn't even have time to finish his taunt as Anna grabbed him by the neck and Slammed him into the Barrier again, her face contorted into an expression of pure rage. It was almost therapeutic, smashing apart Artemis' personal demon like this, and M'gann was surprised as some of the damage she was attempting to repair disappeared on its own. "You haven't got the guts lady. You're a coward, just like my baby girl here."

"You don't know Anna at all 'dad'." Artemis had managed to get off the ground and delivered a jab straight to her 'father's' neck before he started to choke for air. "I'm glad she didn't finish you off herself because I need to do it. I might be your daughter, I might be related to you, but that doesn't mean I am you. That's something I forgot, but you should've known all along."

Sportsmaster ripped off the metal mask he had been wearing as he glared at Artemis with contempt. "Here we go again baby girl; you could have killed me already but-" A shocked look of surprise replaced his glare as he looked down to see an arrow sticking out of his chest. He looked back up in time to see the one headed for his skull, just as a slight grin formed on his lips.

"Who said I didn't plan to kill you? You're just the dark part of my subconscious." Artemis replied as her 'father' disappeared a moment later.

"I'm glad you got that sorted out _babe_, but can you HELP US OUT HERE?!" Kevin shouted as he ducked yet another battle axe. Aya at least was having the best luck given her many years of training and her natural biotic abilities, but any attempts to summon their weapons or armor were met with no success. Then Kevin noticed that Artemis still had her bow and an idea came to mind. "That's an old archaic weapon, so maybe that's the trick here!" A wide grin appeared on his face as a straight sword and shield formed in his hands. "Now this is more like it! Everyone, think archaic!"

Garrus concentrated for a moment and found a large crossbow in his hands, bolt already in place. "Huh. Well it doesn't have a scope or mass accelerated ammo, but it'll work." The turian quickly took aim with the ancient weapon and nailed one of the Darkspawn in the knee. "Damn! I was aiming for his head! I might need a little practice with this thing..." Luckily he didn't have to reload the weapon by hand as a bolt appeared in its place the moment he thought about it, and was able to fire a second later. The charging Darkspawn fell dead as the crossbow bolt pierced its heart. "Better." Garrus' third shot finally hit its mark and found a home in an enemy's right eye. "Much better."

Aya had chosen to wield a pair of razor sharp scimitar shaped daggers and was putting them to use quite well, a dozen enemies already at her feet and she didn't look to be tiring anytime soon. Disappearing in a puff of smoke, Aya seemed to appear behind two newcomers, their throats cut wide open as she passed by. "I could get used to this."

"Wait a minute...how'd you do that?!" Kevin shouted as he stabbed one of the beasts in the chest before bashing his shield against another's skull. A dark smile appeared on his face as he seemed to realize something. "I thought you always said games were a waste of-"

"I played Dragon Age 6, alright?!" Aya shouted as she danced around another sword wielding enemy before driving her dagger into its back before throwing the other into another creature's head as it got too close. A replacement dagger appeared in the asari's hand, and she was back in business only moments later.

"Well screw this! Time to get elemental my dear Aya." Kevin's sword and shield vanished only be to replaced with a glowing staff. "Um...hmm...lightning bolt?" The man couldn't help flinching as a stream of lightning arched out of the crystal on the end of the staff and shot into a Darkspawn, vaporizing its chest. "Yes! Good thing you have my 'amaging' genius this trip!" The new 'mage' tried using the staff again, and this time sent a wave of fire into the enemy ranks as they screamed in agony.

"Matter of opinion." Aya said as she threw another dagger, scoring a direct hit to a creature that had gotten too close to her brother for her liking. "Try not to get yourself killed from too much gloating little brother."

"Can we argue about this later? We still have Darkspawn to kill you know!" Artemis shouted as her hands became a blur, firing off one arrow after another as she put her back up against Garrus's own. Anna's mental projection had faded shortly after the fighting had started, having pushed herself too hard and too fast. Still, they were holding the tide and that was all that mattered.

"Um guys...what are those?!" Garrus asked as four hulking behemoth looking creatures stomped out of the scorched wasteland. They were taller than even Garrus without the horns adding another couple of feet to their overall height.

The fact they could easily topple a krogan with pure brute force wasn't lost on the turian as he fired into the closest of the four even before Aye identified them. "Ogres!" Now they just needed an Archdemon and they'd be up shit creek without a paddle, or a canoe for that matter.

"Oh...okay." Garrus just shrugged as two well aimed shots left one of the four massive enemies dead with a bolt in each eye. Artemis had put four arrows into the chest of the ogre right next to the one Garrus had just taken down, but it wasn't until she put one through its neck that it finally fell. That left only two, but they had gotten too close for them to use their ranged weapons any longer and they had to run as the beasts threw giant boulders at the two archers.

"I got these bastards, guys!" Kevin said as he sent a wall of fire towards the charging Ogres, which did absolutely nothing except piss them off, much to his chagrin. "Or not...um...run!"

"Get out of the way!" Aya shouted as she jumped on the closer of the two ogres, burying her daggers in its chest as she slid down and tore its chest open from collarbone to stomach by letting her full weight drag her down. It staggered, seriously wounded, but it still had strength enough to stand. The asari wasn't done just yet as she slid underneath its legs and immediately started to 'climb' up its back quickly, her daggers used as improvised hooks until she was at its neck. Burying her blades into either side of its neck, Aya opened the creature's gullet from ear to ear before riding the beast down to the ground.

The last ogre seemed to stop in its tracks and fume before Kevin as it went to take a swipe at him with its massive arm. Before the beast could strike him, a blast of ice from his staff engulfed the creature and froze it solid in seconds. Just to add insult to injury, Kevin merely tapped the frozen beast with his staff and watched it fall backward, shattering into countless pieces at his feet. "I like these guys a lot better when they're in a million tiny pieces."

"Is that so young warrior?" An exceedingly sultry and alluring voice said right behind the 'mage', forcing everyone to stop and stare at the beautiful yet deadly Desire Demon that had appeared behind Kevin. Spinning on his heel, the young man had to jump back when the 'woman' started to reach out in an attempt to caress his face. "You are young, strong yet untrained, and you have such strong desires that you know I could make real. Of course, there are all the many obvious lustful thoughts in your mind...but you truly want something else. Something to fill that hole in your heart. Your mother, taken from you so violently while she was merely trying to help those she had sworn to protect, what would you do to have her back? I can return her to you, as if nothing happened."

"It wouldn't be real..." Kevin's voice was starting to lose the strength it had possessed before the creature had shown up. Aya knew the lore better than anyone about Desire Demons, and she knew they tricked those that they could into willingly submitting to their power by offering their deepest desires to them. If it was only that simple, a Desire Demon wouldn't be so dangerous, but it was their influencing magics that aided them that finished the equation for their lethality.

To prove that point, the Desire Demon transformed herself in a flash of white light which quickly disappeared, revealing an exact replica of Jessica Destefano, appearing exactly the same way she had the last time Kevin had seen her alive. "Kevin...is that you?!" Kevin wanted to pull away as 'she' tightly hugged him, but found he was wrapping his arms around her instead. He knew it was all an illusion, but that didn't stop his heart from aching as his mother's very real embrace felt just as he remembered it as a child. "Ssssshhhhh...it's alright Kevin. I'm here, I don't plan on going anywhere."

Anna was stunned at the display, having not expected such an insidious enemy to pop up as Kevin quietly sobbed into the woman's arms. Aya, Garrus, and Artemis were barely holding the other Darkspawn back and Shepard knew they wouldn't be able to help him any time soon. A cold fury built in her heart as she was powerless to save the boy, having severely drained herself helping Artemis.

"You died...that gang member shot you when... when I was only nine years old." Kevin started shaking as he remembered the C-Sec officer at their door, telling them how sorry he was that Officer Destefano had unfortunately been killed in the line of duty.

"I'm here now Kevin. It's ok...it's over and done. I'm here now, that's all that matters." Gently wiping at 'her' son's eyes, Jessica pushed his head back with her thumb and forefinger before she met his gaze with her own. The Desire Demon didn't have to turn this boy against his friends, she just had to keep him distracted and out of the fight, and she was doing that already. "I won't ever leave you again Kevin."

"Hey, she-bitch?! Let's dance!" Kevin screamed as his 'mother' was impaled by a sword which nearly cut the young man's throat as it passed through the demon's chest. Joker was at the other end of it, a genuine angry look on his face as he twisted the sword viciously to the right before pulling it free as the Desire Demon dispersed into a cloud of pink smoke in Kevin's arms. Kevin slowly regained his senses as he shook off the effect the demon had had on him, his eyes blazing with fury at the deception. "Good to have you back kid...I know that must have-"

"Get outta my way." Kevin growled as he twirled his staff and rained down literal Hellfire from above just as the Darkspawn had knocked down his sister. A second later and Aya would have lost her head as fireballs exploded wherever they touched the ground. Anything that were in the blast zones was obliterated, and with Kevin's rage fueling his 'magic', there was plenty of ammunition to go around as dozens of creatures met a fiery end before their bodies turned into red mist and body parts. Kevin rushed into the conflagration and quickly pulled his sister to her feet. "Are you alright?! Aya, are you hurt?!" Before she could say otherwise, her little brother was already checking her over for any injures.

"Kevin, stop! I'm fine..." She too had witnessed the insidious form of persuasion that the demon had used and, just like Anna, had not been able to physically stop it. "Come here..." Aya pressed Kevin to her, knowing the horror he had just been put though, and she also knew him well enough to know he'd only try to hide his pain.

Fortunately for Kevin, Annabell Shepard could still think on her 'feet' even in the less than perfect shape she still found herself. The marine had instantly gotten M'gann's attention and mentally 'forced' her to stop trying to heal her so the martian could bring in reinforcements. Despite being the last to exit Anna's mind, and near utter exhaustion, Joker had been the first to volunteer and M'gann didn't have precious seconds to waste at the time.

Joker quickly took in his surroundings and saw that Artemis and Garrus had efficiently dealt with any stragglers before he could act. "I need a goddamn vacation after this. See ya guys outside. Nice ass kicking, great job yadda, yadda, yadda." Joker waved as he disappeared, having overstayed his welcome as it was from his last visit to Anna's screwed up head.

"I am glad that's over." Artemis said as she wiped the blood and sweat from her forehead with the back of her arm. "Is he...going to be alright?" She asked Aya as she knelt beside the two, having a faint idea of what Kevin had gone through. It was the reverse for her perhaps but the idea was the same. He had been manipulated and turned against his friends, just like she had once upon a time. But the demon's method had involved striking at his love for his dead mother rather than shaming him into obedience. In that regard, Sportsmaster was a saint compared to what that thing had done here today.

"Dest- Kevin...are you al-" Kevin violently jerked his shoulder away as Garrus tried to place a calming hand there. "I'll...leave you two alone. We should be leaving fairly soon." M'gann nodded as she stood, her work done for the day as she looked to the group and wondered who would be staying behind.

"I'm staying!" Artemis and Kevin shouted at the same time before glaring at the other. "Why would you stay behind? You don't even know her." Artemis said first as the farmhouse and it's surroundings returned moments later.

"Maybe I want to get to know her you blonde bimbo." Artemis clenched her fist as Kevin started mocking her, but forced herself to calm down when she saw the hurt in his eyes. "So you staying or aren't you?"

"I can let you both stay, there's no need to argue. Just...don't do anything too crazy." M'gann smiled weakly, supported by Garrus as she saw the two blush in embarrassment for arguing at all.

"Get some rest M'gann. You look like you need it. Don't worry, I won't hurt him...unless he annoys me to death or something." Artemis replied, unaware Kevin was sticking his tongue out at her behind her back.

"And it's not like there's a high chance of that happening. Maybe I should stay too, just to keep you company?" Aya gave Kevin a worried look as the teen crossed his arms in annoyance.

"Don't I get any say in this?" Anna asked, rubbing the back of her head with her newly recovered right arm and its matching hand. "It's alright Aya, I can keep these two in line. I just have to glare at most people and they shut up. And thanks, for taking some of the burden off of my friends. I won't forget this."

Aye had to chuckle a little before she bowed her head at Anna's thanks. "It was our honor to help such a dear friend to Kaldur'ahm. May you find peace before this is over, Anna Shepard."

"Why does everyone always kiss my ass when they meet me?" Anna just sighed and shook her head at the blushing asari commando. "Better than being shot at...I guess. Good work..."

Anna rose an eyebrow when Aya hesitated to reply. "Um...I don't have an active rank yet ma'am, I just recently graduated and-"

"Stop rambling...Lance Corporal...I think that has a nice ring to it. At least it will do until you get a proper rank." Anna attempted to give her best salute as Aya stood at rigid attention out of habit and did her best to copy the human's gesture.

"I hate to interrupt you two love birds, but the 'train' is leaving." Garrus smirked as the asari jumped and ran to M'gann's side. "Take care Anna, we'll be back soon. Kevin, Artemis, see you two later." The two nodded as Aya, Garrus, and M'gann disappeared moments later.

"Well, alone at last. So you two gonna kiss and get it over with? The sexual tension is killing me." Both of the 'kids' scoffed and turned away from each other at the insinuation from Anna, making her laugh at the expressions on their faces. "Awww, what's the matter? I think you'd make a great couple." _Step one complete, get them pissed at me instead of each other. Hopefully Richard won't find out about this...ever._

"I still have my bow Anna." Artemis said as she looked over her shoulder, but they both knew the threat was empty. It would be a cold day in Hell before she'd ever shoot at the brave woman who had just helped her deal with 'Sportsmaster', on top of everything else they'd been through already.

"I'm quivering with fear, Archery Girl. On the plus side, I'm probably easier to hit now." Anna looked down at her less than stellar form and sighed. "That Jabba joke stung...I hate to tell you this, but your 'father' is a total asshole."

"Try living with him sometime." That got Kevin's attention as he was dragged out of his personal 'Hell' by the blonde's venom filled words. "What you saw from me...that was barely a sample of what I had to put up with everyday until I was old enough to hold my own, and even then I couldn't get out from under his control until Ollie got me out."

"Damn, sorry your old man was such a fuck; makes me feel like an ass for the shit I put my father through. It was bad enough or so I thought at the time that he married an asari a few years after my mom died, but then she brings Aya into the picture and that made it worse." Both women stared at him until Anna motioned with her arm for him to continue. "I was nine when I lost her, I was hurting, and I didn't care about hurting anyone else at the time with some of the stuff I said and did. But both Aya and her mother, Acetia, were patient, calm, even serene at times about it all. I could never make them truly angry and I eventually ran out of steam. I've met impatient asari before, those that are quick to anger, but those two might as well have been cool as ice."

"You make them sound...distant." Kevin immediately shook his head at Artemis' comment.

"Whoa whoa whoa, that's not it at all you two. You saw how me and Aya got along right? We might argue and bicker but in reality we couldn't be closer. Their calmness around a raging twelve year old was exactly what I needed to get my head on straight."

"You certainly lucked out in the big stepsister department kid. She could barely bring herself to leave you here." Anna and Artemis just shared a laugh as Kevin stared at them blankly. "Men; why are all of you so painfully obvious? Nevermind, it's not your fault kid."

"Whatever you say there Annabell, and I'm eighteen _ma'am_, stop calling me a kid already." Kevin retorted, sighing heavily at the amused looks on their faces. "So, what happens now?"

"We have some privacy. Goodbye...kid." Kevin didn't get a chance to shout his annoyance as he was placed in another part of Anna's mental landscape by the woman herself. He wasn't happy when he realized he was in some type of corn maze. Artemis knew he'd find his way back eventually, but in the meantime, she got comfortable on the trailer next to Anna. "Now that Mr. Dense is gone, why don't we have a little girl talk, you and me?"

"You don't have to do this Anna. I know what you're up to, but it's you I'm more worried about than my personal demons." Artemis didn't want to talk about it, but she knew Anna wasn't going to give it up. She loved and hated that about her, but knew that the woman's heart was always in the right place regardless of her own feelings on the matter at that given moment.

"Who me? I've got sunshine, green fields, a hot body...well a work in progress anyway." Artemis just stared at Anna until she finally gave in, and shared a small part of her true experience with the archer. "_He_ made the mistake of telling me...you were coming, otherwise, I doubt you'd have found me...Artemis."

"You held on...even as your mind shattered? Anna...I don't think even Ollie could have done that. Even _after_ the island." It was more than a little unnerving to even consider what Psimon must have put her through, but Artemis was good at filling in the blanks from what little they had heard and seen for themselves thus far.

"It hurt...like you can't begin to imagine, but yeah I held on. Every part of me wanted to give in...to simply cease to be...but here I am." Anna focused on a suddenly very interesting cloud instead of having to see the pity in Artemis' eyes. At least, she took it as pity anyway, but it couldn't have been farther from the truth.

"But here you are, because you're too stubborn for your own good, like most of us that have stuck by your side Anna. Don't think that was pity you were seeing because you're a big idiot if that's what you thought. Maybe a little bit of awe and a lot of pride, but never pity."

"Damn...not even a little pity? Ouch! Jerk." Artemis had playfully punched Anna's 'shoulder' when she had foolishly tried to use that little pout on the young girl that had almost seemed to work so well on David. Artemis wasn't having any of it though and had punched Anna for the effort. "It is good to have you here Artemis, I know it couldn't have been easy for you to see me...like this."

"Like what? You're usual annoying, highly arrogant self?" Artemis made a show of looking Anna up and down. "Seems more or less the same to me. You just put on a few extra pounds. And by pounds I mean a metric to- Ahh!" Artemis had been playfully 'pushed' off of the trailer's edge with a small biotic push from Anna. "Now who's the jerk?"

"Stop talking about my fat ass and we'll be good." Anna smirked widely at the blonde's playful scowl that had appeared on her face this time as she brushed loose grass off of her clothing and took her seat once again. "I wonder how long it'll take Kevin to get out of there?"

"I say we give him at least a day before we get worried...damn too late. You should have sealed the top of that corn maze, looks like he cheated and just flew out of it." That wasn't too far off the mark as they looked and saw half the maze was on fire. Kevin seemed to be making a point for burning it to the ground so Anna couldn't whisk him there again. That, and eating large amounts of corn on the cob apparently.

"Should we tell him that I can reproduce that field in a few seconds?" Artemis shook her head and laughed as Kevin wiped his hands and started walking over to them, only to turn around and see the corn maze completely unharmed. "Damn, I'll have to remember that next time, and I'll have to drop him in a cave system if I don't want him to cheat his way out."

"Cave what now? And this is good corn by the way, especially when well done." Kevin grinned as he produced a fireball at the end of the staff he was still carrying around just to emphasize his point. Seeing the 'hungry' looks on the women's faces, he quickly produced a plate of corn on the cob for them. "Did you really think I'd let ya 'starve' in here? I'm goofy, not greedy."

The good times were about to come to a close however as the blackened and scorched area returned and something else was waiting for them. With a thunderous roar, the same roar they had heard at the beginning of the attack by the Darkspawn, it didn't take the group long to figure out that Psimon had left another trap behind. "Oh Hell no. Artemis...got that bow handy?!" Kevin shouted as a tainted dragon, an 'Old God', flew overhead, belching dark purple fire down on them.

Only Anna's Barrier saved them from being roasted alive as the stream of fire stopped a few moments later as the dragon flew over them. "We'll be lucky if I can do that one more time...I'm not exactly in fighting shape right now!"

"No shit, really?! Might be a good time to call M'gann for help!" Kevin gritted his teeth as he raised his staff again, planning to run defense if he had to. There had to be some defensive spells in DA, he just had to remember Aya's boring rants about them was all.

"I can't get through! There's some kind of block in place separating us from her! I think we're on our own guys." Artemis shouted as she loosed an arrow and was irritated to see the beast dodge it completely. It was certainly more agile than she would have given it credit for. "That does it." The archer's green bow disappeared in a flash and was replaced by a beautifully polished wooden longbow. Her quiver followed suit, the arrows within turned silver and radiated some kind of mystical energy as she took aim and fired in a blur of motion.

The silver streak the arrow left behind crackled with electrical energy as Artemis hit her mark, clipping the dragon on its right hind leg below its knee. The dragon looked behind its own massive back as the arrow passed through its leg, leaving a scorching hole behind in the arrow's wake. "Nice shot Arty! Taulmaril the Heartseeker right?" Artemis nodded at Anna's praise and the identification of her new bow. "I guess I ain't the only one with a Forgotten Realms fetish."

Shaking his head at the two unbelievably nerdy yet strong women, Kevin snapped his fingers as a clever thought occurred to him. "I got an idea!" Kevin just stared at the quiver on Artemis' back for a second before tapping it with his staff. "Poisonous...deadlious...maximus?" A sickly green started to appear along with the silver glow on the arrows. "Hopefully that'll give them an added kick. Keep the bastard busy, I'll see what else I can do!"

Artemis nodded as she rapidly loosed more arrows, hitting her mark more often than not as the mythical creature roared in protest before it landed in front of the small group. The mere presence of the dragon was terrifying in its own right as Artemis looked up into its hideous face. How were they supposed to fight something like this?! _I'd give anything to see Ollie's face right now._

"Okay big boy...come on, that's right easy target for you at twelve o'clock. Come here you gruesome son of a bitch!" Kevin was shaking inside as the enraged beast began opening it's mouth to fry him alive just as he sent a ray of ice smashing into its left wing and instantly froze it solid. Artemis snapped out of her fear induced paralysis and followed suit, shattering the wing before the dragon could hope to thaw it out on its own. Now it was grounded, but it still had its sheer size and strength, not to mention its claws, tail, and its mouth full of teeth.

A sudden scream of pain burst out of the creature as it's thick scale armored skin began to bulge around it's massive head. Before Artemis or Kevin could try to finish it, the creature's skull exploded into a million tiny bone fragments, releasing the biotic field trapped within and covering the two of them in blood and brain matter. "I think...I might have overdone it...just a little." Anna's giant smirk contrasted the pained look on her face. "You two...alright?" The woman passed out a moment later before her two 'defenders' ran over to her.

"Anna! Anna wake up dammit!" Artemis yelled as she reached the woman, gently touching her sweat covered face. "Anna...please...don't leave me!"

"Stop being so...overly dramatic, Arty. I'm just a little...pooped is all." Anna opened her eyes for a moment to give the two worried teens a reassuring wink. "Just for the record...the _point _is for the two of you to protect me, last time I checked." Shepard had to laugh at the guilty looks on Artemis and Kevin's faces. "Oh for fuck sake...lighten up your two! You stared down a damn dragon and won by yourselves. Well, pretty much by yourselves. I don't care if it was a mental projection or not, that's not an easy feat."

A sarcastic clapping caught their attention moments later. "Congratulations...you get to live and suffer another day." Psimon's grinning projection told them as he faded away as quickly as he had appeared.

"I really hate that guy." Kevin grumbled, surprised by the sheer amount of rage that was on Anna's face which was only matched by a similar look of loathing on Artemis' own. "That bad huh? I get why you'd hate him Anna, but you Arty? What'd he do, step on your sand castle?"

"He erased six months of my memory, screwed with my friends using his psychic powers, and was generally the cause of most of our major problems. Not including what he did to you." Artemis said as she turned to look at Anna with blurry tear filled eyes and gave the exhausted marine a relieved hug.

Anna vowed to herself then and there that as soon as she was able, she would make sure Artemis got proper help to alleviate the deep pain she usually hid so well from the world. Even if that meant taking legal guardianship to make it happen, she wouldn't hesitate to do whatever she had to do to help the young woman. "Never again Artemis. No matter what happens, you will never be alone again."

**Back in the real world.**

While the team had been inside Anna's head, Dick had taken the time to get his thoughts in order. He felt like an ass the way he had snapped at everyone earlier, and no one had tried to stop him from leaving the private suite. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going and wound up bumping into Karin. A quick hello was all Dick said but he stopped when he heard someone speaking to her. He wouldn't have said anything or reacted in the least given what Karin did everyday here in the hospital, but the man that spoke to her rang alarm bells in Richard's head to the point he froze in mid step.

"It is good to see you Dr. Chakwas. I don't wish to be rude, but has there been any change? I realize that's at least the sixth time I've asked you this week." Turning around, Dick's fears were realized, but he was quick to duck behind the nurses station so the man in question didn't set his sights on him. Different reality or not, he didn't want to take an unnecessary chance. The bags under his eyes and the worn look to his face didn't make Richard drop his guard in the least as his hand hovered over the hidden batarangs he kept on his person at all times.

"I am sorry to say but there's been no improvement Mr. Lazarus. She hasn't gotten any worse, but you're free to visit her as you wish. And please don't apologize, I just wish more fathers were like you, always fretting over their loved ones." Karin smiled, completely unaware of the danger she was in, or would have been in if she had been a target. Richard knew that this man had a twisted bit of honor, but it didn't make him feel any better about her being close to the guy as she thankfully walked away to tend to other matters.

"You didn't think that would actually work did you? It isn't hard to miss someone wearing all black darting into a nurses station. Now that the good Doctor needn't be bothered, why don't you come out boy?" The man in question simply brushed off his dark blue suit as he patiently waited.

Richard sighed and stood before 'The Demon's Head', the leader of the League of Shadows. "I guess some things don't change _Mr. Lazarus_... You don't look a day over three hundred by the way. What's your secret? Oh right, that demented Pit you got tucked away. How many people have you had to sacrifice to keep that ugly mug?"

"I see my eyes did not deceive me after all. But how could the Detective's young ward, unaged no less, blunder into my path?" The haggard looking man lifted his hand to his chin as he pondered this strange puzzle, before simply shrugging and leaving the matter for later thought. "But I shall answer your question first; only three 'Young Detective', and all of them far worse people than I have ever been, I can assure you."

He couldn't see any visible weapons on his person, but Dick knew better than to assume anything with the master assassin. He didn't doubt for a moment that there was a small army of his loyal followers ready to jump to the man's defense if he made a move against the Demon. "I guess Fate has a sense of humor, or cruel irony, I can't decide which."

"Oh don't look so nervous boy, I shall be honest with you and inform you there is no one here to harm you, or whoever it is you were obviously here to see. It does indeed seem Fate has a sense of humor as you so aptly put it. If it's any consolation to you, it was a truly dark day when Bruce fell to his arch nemesis so long ago. It nearly destroyed my daughter when we heard he had gone missing." It was no secret to those in the League that his daughter, Talia Al Ghul, had fallen in love with Bruce Wayne, and that many of his plans had revolved around making Bruce his successor.

Ra's Al Ghul immediately noticed something strange about the boy's reaction. Given his close relationship with the man, the ancient leader would have thought him more upset over his mentor's passing. Richard didn't even twitch however, which made Ra's all the more curious about the young detective in front of him. "Yeah well...what's done is done. It's not like I can change the past, unless you have a zeta tube and a black hole bomb handy."

"You're not of this time period are you Richard? No, it's more than that...isn't it? You my young friend have piqued my interest considerably, but as you have no doubt deduced, I am here because my daughter is in critical condition. I cannot take her home without risking her already fragile health."

"Sounds familiar." Dick wanted to hit his head on the nearest wall for giving the man any information whatsoever. Then he remembered that Ra's information network was bigger than any government could even dream of matching and knew that he'd have found the answers himself anyway. "A...friend of mine is in a similar situation. You can blame your old buddy Psimon."

"Cerberus's pet lab rat? I had thought him dead years ago, but it seems the rumors of his demise were grossly exaggerated. I do hope you corrected that issue because the rumors I had heard of the pro human organization's use of that walking filth was...disconcerting, even by my less than ethical standards. If I had known sooner of his continued...existence, I would have made sure to put an end to it personally."

"It's been dealt with. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try and forget I saw you." That didn't mean he wouldn't booby trap the Hell out of Anna's room though. If he saw so much as a shadow move out of place, Richard planned to know about it and tear anyone that got close to ribbons before the assassins got within ten yards of Annabell or his friends.

"Ah...so the rumors were true, judging by the fact your friend is in a critical care unit." Ra's was unable to hide the small smirk that formed on his face as Richard stopped in his tracks. "Commander David Anderson and his adopted daughter, Lt Annabell Shepard, it's her that is in critical condition isn't it?"

"If you so much as-" Dick found himself glaring at the man from less than three paces in a split second.

"Do not threaten me boy. While I admire your loyalty, if I wanted to harm anyone or yourself, I would have not be here speaking to you about it. I would simply whisper a few words to the right ears and death would soon follow. I would see this Lt Shepard, because it seems I am, however indirectly, responsible for her current state of health." Dick knew from past experience and from Bruce's files that Ra's had a twisted, but strict, honor code he lived by. The unnecessary abuse of women for example went against everything he believed in. While they would never be friends in any reality, Richard also knew that the Demon protected those he trusted fiercely, and even his respected enemies such as Bruce for instance, were given that same treatment until they no longer served his purpose.

Knowing the man would simply do as he wished in any case, Dick turned away from him and started walking. "Follow me."

"But of course, a wise choice Mr. Grayson." The moment Richard stood in the doorway, with their rather imposing guest behind him, Kaldur, and M'gann stood up when their eyes fell on the Demon. "I would not try anything if I were you, Kaldur'ahm and M'gann M'orzz. I am not here on 'business', as it were. Richard invited me to see what Psimon had done to your friend, and I see it is worse than I feared. Commander Anderson, I am glad you put an end to the madman at the least."

"Who are you and how do you know all this?!" Anderson's hand had already flown to the pistol he kept on his hip but an omni-sword reached his neck first, stopping him cold as Ra's dared Kaldur to try and move before he ran the older marine through. M'gann would have gladly thrown him out the window, but she was too exhausted to even bend a spoon at that moment. Anderson growled in the back of his throat but put his weapon away. Ashley and Garrus grudgingly lowered their weapons as well, but looked ready to shoot the man at a moment's notice. While David didn't relax when Ra's did the same, he didn't try to attack as he sat back down again.

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...such loyalty to each other and your fallen comrade. As for who I am, I have gone by many names over the centuries. The one my allies and foes alike know me by is Ra's Al Ghul, leader of the League of Shadows." Bowing his head to the assembled group before him, Richard had since taken a seat next to Artemis, who was still out cold along with Aya and Kevin.

"He's obsessed with wiping out all of humanity, or is that all life in the universe now?" Dick was quick to add in, obviously not impressed with the man despite the fact he tried to come off as imposing and always looking his best. Even now Ra's, despite his worries about his daughter, the master assassin still appeared well groomed.

"Firstly _boy, _I never wished to wipe out the human race, simply to steer it away from some of it's more decadent flaws. As for the other civilizations among the stars, unless they directly threaten humanity, I see no reason to meddle in their affairs." Ra's glared at Richard then turned his gaze to Garrus, as if to make his point.

"Well that's comforting." Garrus crossed his arms over his chest as he glared at the well dressed man. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't try to arrest you or shoot you where you stand?"

"Because I know where Cerberus is keeping this reality's M'gann M'orzz, but I have a problem of my own. I am willing to give you the data I have on their operations, but I demand something in return before I do. I want you to locate and kill Kai Leng, Cerberus' top assassin, and a former League of Shadows member turned traitor. He is the reason Talia is here." A slight grin appeared on the ancient man's face as he turned his gaze to M'gann. "As a show of good faith, I will freely share one more piece of information I believe you'd find most interesting Ms. M'orzz. It seems the particular base where your counterpart is being held has made a new acquisition. One 'Conner Kent' has recently become their...guest, odd since history would tell us he died long ago."

If the looks of shock and amazement on all of their faces was anything to go by, that last bombshell Ra's had dropped on their laps had most definitely gotten their undivided attention. "If I wasn't exhausted, I'd tear the location from your mind." M'gann growled as she stood from her chair. "Tell us what we need to do."

"I knew you would see things my way martian. I have reliable intel that says he will try to finish what he started with my daughter. Since I see no sign of your imminent departure in the near future, I ask for your patience and vigilance, Lang will no doubt come to you. My organization's failure to attain his current whereabouts is rather vexing, but we already have the proper bait to ensure his untimely demise." Despite his willingness to use his own daughter as bait, Dick and David could see that it pained him to consider putting Talia in further peril. It was the only reason why David stood and nodded his approval of the idea.

"I know Kai Leng as well Ra's. I shattered his kneecaps when we last met and he has held a personal grudge against me as well but he knows he's outmatched against me so he never tried again. Be it as it may, your information better be on the level, otherwise I will make it my personal mission to destroy you and your League of Shadows. That's a promise...from one father to another."

Ra's did not doubt that David would try, but he would fail. No one could destroy the League of Shadows; they were too widespread and too numerous with a very clear chain of command. Still, he would let David think he had cowed the Demon's Head. "Very well, but we have much to prepare before night falls. I have no doubt Leng will be back this very night. As soon as your friends can be brought out of her mind, I suggest you do so." M'gann only glared at Ra's departing form as he left Anna's private room, but she would follow his advice, with Artemis at least. She had the most experience with the League next to Richard, and M'gann had a feeling they'd need every edge they could get.

_Closing Notes; Vergil1989; The League of Shadows? Kai Leng eight years early?! What other crazy stuff can we put into this before we even hit the first game?! We'll be skipping more time after this Kai Leng business is taken care of either way so that we don't drag this out unnecessarily, but there is still a lot to do yet before we even get to ME 1. D_

_Archer83; Another new and exciting chapter of Lost Youth will be out...soonish. Thanks again for taking the time to read this and be sure to leave a review! At this rate we'll be on our second or third story by the time we get to ME1 LOL. All the more content for you, dear readers!_


	12. In Love And War

**Chapter 12; In Love and War**

**Corbulo** **Memorial Hospital**

**April 9th, 2178**

**04:35 GST**

"_I never thought I'd be sharing my mind with the leader of the League of Shadows. This is so totally whelming, and definitely not in a good way."_ Dick grumbled, refusing to acknowledge Ra's directly. Considering what was at stake, no one could blame him, but the scowl on the Demon's face deepened at being purposely talked about as if he wasn't in the area. "_Easy there Ra's, you might blow our cover if you keep scowling old man."_ It took every bit of his patience garnered over the centuries to not look at the air vent that 'Nightwing' had hidden himself inside for this mission as he leaned in close to his daughter's side. Richard sighed and looked away, having never thought he would see Ra's so vulnerable as he was now. "_I guess even you have human feelings like the rest of us Ra's. We might not see eye to eye in any reality, but we promised to help you get this guy and we intend to keep that promise."_

"_I still don't like that we have moved Anna and Talia so close together. If this Kai Leng is so dangerous, wouldn't it have been wiser to keep them as far away from each other as possible?"_ Aya asked, standing guard over Anna along with her brother, David, and Joker. The rest of the team were spread out across the critical care unit. Every entrance was covered, but it didn't make the asari feel any better. With Anna and Talia just across the hall from each other, it provided too easy of a target as far as she was concerned.

"_They needed the space Aya, and if the assassin does not come tonight, then he is a fool. We merely took advantage of Karin's hospitality and had her moved to make room for new patients. Kai Leng will not anticipate a trap if we have played this right."_ Ra's was momentarily impressed by Kaldur's calm if stern response to his friend's worry. He would have much rather faced Kai Leng on his own terms, but with the number of times the covert ops team had foiled his plans in the past, Ra's knew that his chances were most likely better with them on his side rather than against him. Their presence had instantly turned from a minor annoyance into the perfect opportunity. His agents would be hard pressed not to draw the attention of Cerberus, but he hoped they would be foolish enough to think he hadn't realized his daughter was still being targeted. She was in a coma, and any information she might have garnered was locked away in her brain, but if he were in their shoes, he would have done the same.

"_This is Rogue Five checking in. All clear so far."_ Taking the job entirely too seriously, or because he was a perpetual smartass, Joker had resorted to giving everyone callsigns and it was annoying more than a few of the team to no end.

"_Joker, would you please stop with the damn callsigns? We're talking in a mental link, it doesn't get __much more secure than that." _Anderson glared at the innocent look on the pilot's face as he tossed a box of tissues at him.

"_Gold Leader to Goliath, I can still have Gold Leader?" _David just sighed and smiled down at his daughter. M'gann had been able to 'patch her in' with everyone else after the 'Archdemon' attack earlier that day. She could send out an SOS if needed, or in this case at least know what was happening around her now.

It made this a lot easier to bear, knowing Anna was 'in the loop' and that she was on the mend. "_Anna, I know you're ecstatic that you can finally talk to everyone, but we do have an Op going here."_ David had to bite his tongue to stifle the laugh that threatened to escape him when he heard his daughter's reply.

"_Well that was a polite way to tell me to shut the hell up. Thanks dad. We'll get through this M'gann and find Connor, I promise you. Either that or I'll tear Mr. Creepy Voice's throat out when I get out of here." _Ra's sighed at the woman's response, but he couldn't help admiring her astoundingly arrogant confidence, however misguided. If he didn't know any better, he would have almost mistaken Anna for a wilder version of Talia.

"_I __**can **__hear you Annabell Shepard."_ Ra's was quick to reply, annoyance easy to detect in his 'voice'.

"_That's the point Mr. Demon Head."_ Psimon induced coma or not, the League's leader could almost feel the intense glare from Anna as he heard her response, but he was not impressed in the least.

"_Ah...such a mix of pure arrogance, absurd bravery, and utter stupidity. I can see why your friends are so loyal to you Lt."_ If Shepard could have smiled, she would have since she could easily tell she was getting to the man better than Richard had been able to do so far.

"_Well that was a backhanded compliment if I ever heard one." _They could almost hear the 'huff' Ashley gave at having to listen to Ra's comments.

"_Everyone quiet! I think I heard something, in the elevator."_ Artemis was glad she had decided to get a snack out of the vending machines as she passed by the elevators on her way back to Anna's room. She was just about to turn down the hall when she heard something, whisper soft behind the metal doors. Richard had come through with a new upgraded bow during their stay at the hospital, and she unfolded it as she stared at the doors in front of her. "_False alarm. Just that one older couple visiting their son."_ Artemis had put away her bow the moment her eyes fell on the couple, smiling at the two as they passed by. They only offered a nod, and considering their son was in far worse shape than either Talia Al Ghul or Annabell Shepard, Artemis couldn't blame them in their barely polite acknowledgement of her presence as she watched them wander off without a glance back. "_Makes you wonder if Ra's doesn't have validation for wanting to steer humanity on his chosen course. How can anyone be __allowed to abuse their own children?!"_ Mr. and Mrs. Jackson had come home to find that Mr. Jackson's brother had been beating the crap out of their son. They never found out why yet since it was still being investigated, but it made Artemis sick to her stomach all the same.

"_Well, if there's one thing we can agree on Artemis, it's that people are far from perfect." _David only had to look in the bed next to him to prove his thought. "_But that doesn't give us the right to act as if we should control the destiny of humanity."_

"_If only you knew what I had seen over the ages Commander, your views would be changed. War, plagues, genocide, all of them perpetrated by our own species upon our own species. Yet it is offenses such as what was done to your daughter and their son that occurs infinitum, unchallenged because of a system that is in and of itself, corrupt and decadent."_ David had to give the centuries old 'Demon' credit, he knew how to spin a phrase to appeal to his better angels, but the old marine wasn't buying into the madman's speech in the least.

"_Not to ruin your deep conversation on society, but I think it's obvious he's not coming tonight. We should start sleeping in shifts, just in case." _Garrus told them as the morning light started to peek through the windows. While it was universally assumed that assassins only worked at night when they could operate at their best, it was a fatal mistake to assume anything when dealing with assassins of any type. Some of the most daring assassinations had taken place during the daylight hours, and the League had been behind more than a few of them in their home reality.

"_Well, I'll take the first watch, anyone else want to volunteer?" _Somehow, no one was surprised that Jeff spoke up first.

"_I won't be sleeping much anyway after facing that Archdemon, so I'll stay with Demon Face and his hot daughter."_ Ra's chose to ignore Kevin's comment as he chose to watch the sun rise instead of listing the number of ways he could have him killed, most of them unfortunately painless in their execution.

"_As much as I approve of the praise Mr. Destefano, I would be careful of your thoughts around my father. He is not the leader of the League of Shadows for nothing, and I am no longer exactly helpless either."_ Talia Al Ghul replied, M'gann having pulled her out of the coma caused by her injuries at Kai Leng's hands at the start of this affair. The humor in her voice did nothing to hide the very real threat however, and Kevin was surprisingly silent as he flopped down into a chair next to the 'still comatose' Talia.

"That's a wrap for right now, the rest of you get some sleep and try to be as inconspicuous as possible." Richard said aloud and through the psychic link as he landed silently next to Ra's and Kevin. As much as he still hated working with the League in any capacity, he was willing to do so for M'gann mostly, but Ra's and his love for his daughter also held his tongue in check...for the most part. "Try not to fall flat on your face their Ra's, we might need you before this is over."

"If you're suggesting I won't be well rested enough when Kai Leng decides to show up, I can assure you I am well versed in the 'waiting game'." If not for her own extended lifespan, loyalty, and discipline, Talia would have chuckled at Richard's sharp wit. The original Richard Grayson had had a similar tongue on him and found that she admired this new Richard a fair bit more than the one she was familiar with. They were or had been so much alike, but they were also quite different as well, and it made Talia more than a little curious about him.

"_Wait...we're playing the 'waiting game'? I thought this was 'truth or dare'." _Everyone just groaned at Joker's lame attempt at humor as they prepared to settle in for the day.

**Corbulo** **Memorial Hospital**

**April 11th , 2178**

**01:12 GST**

"_You certainly earn the name Ra's. I don't think I've ever seen someone fight as fiercely as you have."_ Despite there having been still no appearance from Kai Leng, M'gann and Anna had insisted that they still do runs inside her head. Despite her father's misgivings about letting the man anywhere near her, Ra's Al Ghul had volunteered immediately to enter her mental plane.

"_I have an exceedingly well trained mind and countless years of experience to draw upon. Your mental constructs had no chance against me. I would advise you to partake in fewer stories involving vampires in the future however, especially ones of the sparkling variety."_ Everyone currently in the link could _almost_ detect a hint of honest to god humor in Ra's Al Ghul's 'voice'.

Anna just 'shrugged' before she mentioned the real culprit this time. "_Don't blame me, that was Talia's thing. And hey...I got to beat up Tom Cruise AND Brad Pitt; it was a good day as far as I'm concerned."_ Talia remained silent, but everyone could 'feel' her embarrassment filtering through the telepathic link. How she had ever gotten her hands on the Twilight Saga, Ra's never learned, but it was mutually agreed that vampires didn't sparkle.

"_Personally, I thought my little contribution helped out alot. It's not everyday you get to see a werewolf, a __**real **__vampire, and a freaking ghost help you kill hordes of sparkly blood suckers. I almost felt sorry when Adin took Edward Cullen down a couple pegs."_ Richard had waved to the three surprisingly friendly mental projections as they continued to tear through the less friendly ghouls around them at the time. It had turned out to be one of their easier fights, overall. It had probably helped that Ra's and Talia had completely annihilated anything that got in their way. Thankfully, the mental trio assisting them had been smart enough to steer clear of them.

"_DUDE...you're giving all of us a bad name man! Sure I never liked the Volturi, but give me a break __Dick, the Twilight saga wasn't that bad."_ Aya could only blink at Kevin in shock at what had just come out of his mouth. "_What? I liked Rosalie, sue me."_

"_If only we weren't related, I could deny I know you."_ Even Kaldur had to look at Aya with mild shock on his face when they 'heard' that remark from the asari to her brother.

"_Ouch...harsh sis, harsh."_ Kevin could only cross his arms over his chest and glare, having no ready comeback against her for once.

"_For once I am forced to agree with your young brother...Lance Corporal Destefano, was it? That jest was rather cold blooded, even if your brother has deplorable taste in fiction." _A full minute went by before Ra's comment sunk in.

"_HOLY SHIT! Did Mr. Serious Demon just make a joke? Please tell me I'm not the only one hearing this?" _He would deny it later, but Kevin swore he saw a twitch of a smirk on Ra's lips at the time.

"_I'm about as surprised as you are Joker. I can smell the burn from here."_ Garrus couldn't suppress the 'humor' his thought was laced with as they all but ganged up on the supposedly scary Demon's Head. Kevin and Ra's shared an offended look before getting comfortable once again in their respective seats.

"_I'm sorry... I don't get this humor thing at all. What is so funny about what Mr. Al Ghul said?"_ Unsurprisingly, M'gann was left in the dark about the joke that had came and went.

A loud laugh throughout the mental link set everyone on edge when they realized who it was. "_Oh my young martian, I envy your naivety. It is for those like you that the world should be improved upon. What's wrong Mr. Moreau? You're oddly quiet for once."_

Joker's depth was once again revealed to everyone as he opened his 'mouth' to retort. "_Listen here pal; I know our race ain't exactly nice to anyone, but you're too damn fixated on the bad things we do to each other to see the good."_

"_Perhaps you're right Mr. Moreau, and perhaps human history isn't littered with far more negatives than positives either. My father has seen it for himself, as have I, albeit to a lesser degree. We need a strong hand to guide us to a better future, or we will always be doomed to repeat past mistakes." _Talia's blind loyalty to her father only seemed to irk Jeff further. That and it didn't help that she had a point, but Joker refused to acknowledge it because despite all of his own cynicism, he believed humans were better than these two gave their race credit for.

"_Never thought I'd say this to the opposite sex, but are you Special or something, sure you weren't __dropped on your head as a kid Talia? Because it seems like you're talking out of your ass to me. We are in a hospital after all, one quick five minute check and we could find out."_ Even Richard wasn't that brave or stupid to openly say something so...insulting to either of the Al Ghuls. He was sure if Joker had been in the same room with Ra's, the master assassin would have killed him on the spot, their deal be damned.

He was almost right. "_Mr. Moreau, I hereby challenge you to a duel for insulting my lovely daughter. You may choose your weapon or the nature of the contest, but should you lose, you forfeit your life."_

"_Um... I kindly refuse Mr. Insane Person."_ He wasn't well versed in ancient honor duels and codes of conduct, but Jeff still had the feeling his simple refusal wouldn't be enough to get him out of this mess.

"_I'm afraid that he is deadly serious Mr. Moreau. Men in my father's employ have died for lesser insults than the ones you have used, and they were never given the chance to defend themselves. Given your...limited physical ability, I would suggest a battle of wits to even the odds in your favor." _Even then, Talia knew that Joker's odds were extremely low because of the extremely intelligent mind her father possessed.

"_Oh it's on now babe. Alright demon face, let's see how well you can handle a chess board."_ Artemis was going to kill him for getting into this mess, but Talia had made the fatal mistake of even mentioning his physical issues. Joker was determined to put Ra's in traction, in a mentally dominating fashion anyway.

**Five hours later...**

"What's the matter 'Joker?' I thought that you were the best there is at this kind of game?" Ashley, Artemis, Richard, Kaldur and David had since woken up from their naps and were staring intently at the game between Jeff and Ra's. Everyone but Kevin, Aya, Anna, M'gann and Talia had followed the group out to the cafeteria where the two 'combatants' had synced up their omni-tools and were nearing the endgame after four and a half hours. Talia had not expected Joker to last thirty minutes, but with David's approval, M'gann had tapped into the marine's eyesight and was providing a 'live feed' for the two women, and she saw for herself that the pilot was not to be underestimated.

"Don't get ahead of yourself just yet Ra's, Check." He had lost all of his pawns, some from being captured while others Joker had used to trade in for some of his more important pieces. Ra's was relentless however, and kept on pushing his defenses for all they were worth. With only a handful of pieces left, it wasn't looking good.

"I promise your defeat will be painless my sarcastic friend. You have proven a worthy intellectual adversary, something I do not get to say often. Only Bruce Wayne could say that with any certainty no matter the circumstances of our meetings in the past. I return your Check with one of my own." He not only put Joker in Check, but Ra's had put his Queen in a position to defend his King at the same time. There were few moves that either man could use, and it soon became apparent neither of them had the advantage.

"Damn. Draw, again?" Ra's lightly shook the man's extended hand for the third time in a row. The two men quickly set the pieces back up for their fourth game. "Wanna take a break, get some coffee or something?"

"Start the game Mr. Moreau, you aren't getting any younger." Ra's had been genuinely surprised with the pilot's mental talents, but that wouldn't be saving him from his impending death. Albeit far more 'gentle' one than what Ra's had originally planned. When the pieces were restored to their proper places, the game began yet again.

Jeff started rapidly moving his pieces as if part of the friendliest game of speed Chess he had ever played. Ra's cocked an eyebrow at the pilot's reckless haste, but countered the man's moves with the same alacrity. "Trying to get this over with quickly I see. I don't blame you, it was a foregone conclusion in any-" The board didn't allow anymore moves to be made when it detected a clear and decisive winner, and it was displaying the results at that moment.

Joker stared at the board as if he had to be dreaming. "Um...Checkmate?" He wasn't the only one as the realization of what had just happened slowly started to sink in for the Demon's Head. Ra's bowed his head in respect to the man that had beaten him when his mind caught up with him and was, strangely enough, proud to be able to name Joker as a worthy, if extremely lucky, opponent

"Very well played Mr. Moreau, you have avoided death this day by the skin of your teeth." Ra's stared at the board of a moment as he pondered the irony of living for the better part of a millenium, only to be doomed by a game of chess. It was almost funny that the man that beat him couldn't have hoped to best him in any other manner, but Ra's was able to accept the loss with his pride intact at least. "As I am an honorable man, my fate rests in your hands."

"Whoa what?" Artemis hadn't heard that part. She hadn't been aware that Jeff's life had been on the line. Before she could say anything go, Jeff put up a hand and looked Ra's square in the face.

"I guess I was a bit out of line with that crack earlier about your daughter. You're a good, if slightly crazy, guy Ra's and I'm not a big enough asshole to deprive Talia her old man. We'll just call this a good game and let bygones be bygones, whaddaya say?" Joker waved an arm towards the man. "I hereby yadda yadda, promise I'm not gonna kill you or hold you over a barrel."

"I believe you just officially released me from my debt, albeit in a rather uncouth manner. In the centuries I have lived, only one other saw fit to show me the same mercy. This act will not be forgotten Mr. Moreau." The small audience tried not to laugh in Joker's face as Ra's bowed to him, and the pilot's jaw almost hit the floor.

"_I am truly grateful that you chose to spare my father, Mr. Moreau. If you or your friends are ever in need of assistance, I would gladly provide it."_ Richard couldn't believe what he was hearing despite his knowledge of the League and its leaders. He couldn't imagine that a day like this would have come and he wasn't able to take advantage of it. As much as he didn't agree with the assassins, they were at least better than the Cult of Kobra by far and he was willing to at least negotiate with the League of Shadows.

"_Don't even say it Joker." _Anna's 'voice' had an irritated yet amused quality to it as she got ahead of any perverted or smart ass comments Jeff could make.

"_What? I have no idea what you're talking about Shepard."_ For once, Joker was taking this whole thing seriously and had no intentions of being a dick.

The marine was honestly a little shocked that Jeff had surprised her so easily. "_Wow...this more mature serious side of you is so...boring. A nice improvement though."_ She didn't doubt that Joker's sarcastic nature was still there, he was just being unusually grown up about this whole thing was all.

"_Okay, new set of rules. No fighting, and no more goddamn duels! The next time I get some shut eye I am not waking up to another cluster fuck like this one. And Joker? You get into another one of these damn situations, I'll kill you myself." _Anderson growled as he stomped away, needing to get out of the area before he continued to vent his utter fury at the stupidity of his 'troops'. On the other hand, he couldn't have been prouder of Jeff's ability to get himself out from under the guillotine.

"_If your people continue to show the proper respect-" _Ra's almost found it refreshing to be interrupted by someone after centuries of near blind obedience.

"_No fighting. Period. I don't care what stupidity comes out of anyone's mouth." _David's tone brooked no argument as the Demon sighed and finally relented.

Ra's gave a wolfish grin to Joker as the pilot involuntarily shuddered across from him. "_As you wish Commander, you have my word."_ An idea came to Ra's mind then as he looked back to the Alliance pilot, and Joker again gave an involuntary shudder at the look that came over the man's face. "_I hear that the Alliance needs more ships, and while that is nothing new in and of itself, I think I might be able to pull some strings and provide funding. The League has countless legitimate businesses under our control, it would be a small matter to have something...unique added to the Systems Alliance's fleet. If you are half the helmsmen you claim to be Mr. Moreau, then you may yet earn the right to fly her."_

Once again, everyone was stunned beyond words for what Ra's was offering Jeff. Joker was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet though, if he had been actually standing he would have been anyway. "You got a deal Ra's. I'm already at the top of my class, so when she's ready, you know where to find me. I'd dance a jig, but most people don't like the sound of snapping shin bones."

"I only have one demand to make then. When the ship is complete, you will use it to destroy Cerberus by any means necessary." Not even the perpetually sarcastic Joker was willing to argue against Ra's addendum. Besides, more than a few of their group had a personal grudge against the organization, so there was little eagerness to argue against the Demon's Head anyway.

**Corbulo Memorial Hospital**

**April 16th, 2178**

**15:45 GST**

Several days passed without any sign of Cerberus in the area; as far as the League apparently knew, there wasn't so much as one Cerberus agent currently on Elysium. Ra's had taken a chance and had left the hospital to meet with certain members of his group to figure out what was going on and why they had been played the fool. He had muttered something about heads rolling before the day was through and that was the last anyone had heard of him. It wasn't until Richard jumped when he found something interesting did his friends perk up. "Hey guys, I think I found something interesting here."

Gathered around Nightwing in Anna's room, and with M'gann posing as Talia, the assassin herself was leaning against the wall and out of sight of anyone that could see her either from the window or the door unless they barged in. It was the only reason her father had left at all, that and Talia had insisted he see why their intel was inaccurate. "What did you find Mr. Grayson? You have been tapping away at that omni-tool for several days have you not?"

"I finally broke the deepest level of encryption on the network I hacked on Akuze. There's some real weird stuff in here about-" Richard's eyes widened as he looked over the information. He instantly put his hand over the display and closed it down as he all but dragged Anderson out of the room behind him. "We'll be...right back." He tried to keep his tone light but no one was fooled that he had found something related to Anderson and Shepard. Whatever it was, it was something he obviously didn't want to get spread around. While highly curious about the data he had found, Talia decided she could always discreetly hack the boy's omni-tool at a later time. With a flick of her raven black hair over her shoulder, Talia let the matter drop for now.

Ducking into a thankfully vacant meeting room a little ways down the hall, he sent a 'message' to M'gann and had her link everyone they trusted, which unfortunately didn't include Kevin, Aya, or Garrus, and most definitely didn't include Talia. He liked Garrus and Kaldur's friends, but this was a personal matter between them, and after getting Anna's approval, M'gann had linked up the team with him and Anderson. "_What is this about Richard?"_

"_You might want to sit down David."_ David had a funny feeling he knew where this was going, but he let the boy get settled first. "_I found something...I wondered why that cyborg Yahg was so damn strong, and I came to the conclusion from the lab files that they had been gene splicing it on top of grafting cybernetic parts into its body. The problem is...the genes they were using were Kryptonian. They must have...taken samples from Connor, but I started to look closer at the gene sequence they had on record. I then found this." _

Richard held out his arm, showing them three separate sets of genetic markers which all matched in certain small sections. Connor's and the yahg's were the most different from each other, but that was a given since they were two completely different species. It was the more human strand of DNA that grabbed David's attention as he compared Connor's and the last strand listed. "_It's hers, isn't it?"_

Richard looked at the floor, seemingly with guilt. "_Yeah...it's hers. From what I've been able to tell, they had plans to use Connor's DNA originally, but Anna got there first before his samples showed up."_ If Anna had arrived a day later, the yahg might have been unstoppable if Connor's DNA had been used instead, and without Bruce's old stash of kryptonite, they would have been torn apart if that had been the case.

"_Wait...are you saying that...but I thought I was related to-"_ It did explain how she had survived getting ran over, as well as the fact she had taken old 9mm rounds from Joker's turrets in the hidden cache and had wound up with only bruises for her trouble. There were a few other, smaller instances of her otherworldly nature, but Anna was still understandably shocked. If this was true, then Luthor never had any legitimate claims to her, or his family for that matter. And all of those events had one common link; either she had been on Earth at the time, or on a planet orbiting a Sol-type star.

"_I had my suspicions over the years Anna, but I wasn't about to let anyone poke and prod you after everything you had already gone through. After that first time...when you ran away, the doctors came to me with odd results from the scans they had to run on you. I got Hackett to pull a few strings, and suddenly you had a slightly different medical history." _David wished he could have held Anna in that moment. It had always been hard enough on her being a biotic. This would only make her feel even more isolated from the rest of humanity. That had been one of his many reasons for hiding the truth in the first place.

"_There's more...I don't know if you want to hear this Anna." _Everyone could hear the tremor of doubt and guilt in the boy's voice, no one wanted to be the bearer of this kind of news.

"_Spill it Dick."_ She was in no mood to be kept out of the loop, not when it pertained to her origins and what it might mean.

"_Your parents apparently needed the help of a medical clinic to conceive you Anna. Your siblings were born normally because of the treatments your mother received at the time but...the clinic...they __genetically modified the DNA in your embryo. If you were to activate your dormant kryptonian DNA, you'd have all the same powers as Connor most likely, but as you are now, you have some of his strength, regenerative capabilities, and invulnerability to bullets while under a yellow dwarf star. Basically, you're 1/8th Kryptonian, Connor's 1/2. That yahg was weaker than either of you, but I'd rather not fight it again anytime soon."_ His attempt at humor fell on deaf ears.

"_So...you're telling me I'm some freak Luthor grew in a petri dish...and if Mindoir hadn't had a red dwarf star...maybe I could have-" _The group's morale instantly took a nose dive at hearing the despondent tone in Anna's voice.

"_Even Superman wouldn't have been able to stop an entire army on his own Annabell Shepard, yellow sun or not. As for being a freak, NEVER think of yourself like that again. I don't care if you have DNA from Darkseid himself, you're still the same woman we have come to care about, and trust without hesitation."_ David couldn't have said it better himself as Kaldur spoke up before he could. To the Atlantean's mind, Anna was and always would be the woman that took in his friends and gave them hope. For that alone, he was willing to follow her no matter what, and Anna would forever have his undying loyalty.

"_He's right Anna. I suspected but I didn't give a damn. You helped us when we were lost and alone in this world. You treated me better than my own family, so don't think that just because you're a little different it's going to phase us in the least."_ Even her mental 'voice' couldn't hide the tears that were likely running down her face as Artemis added her two credits into the conversation.

"_Hello Anna! You're always looking out for us. What kind of friends would we be if we didn't do the same for you? You helped Artemis defeat Sportsmaster, and you accepted me despite being a white martian. You helped Dick during a dark time, and you gave all of us a home when we popped into this reality. Well, you and David both, but you get the idea."_ M'gann's smile could be felt through the link as well as the warmth and compassion she radiated to everyone around her.

"_I'm happy to take a little credit, but they're right about you Annabell. You did all the heavy lifting when it came to taking a few scared kids and giving them some hope for the future. I tried to hide this from you to make your life a little easier, but I see now that maybe it was a mistake on my part. No matter how you came to be in this world Anna, you are the only master of your destiny."_ No matter how he chose to speak, David's voice always held nothing but what he was thinking and nothing short of blunt honesty. Anna had always admired that about her adoptive father and she couldn't have been more grateful for it now.

"_Damn...and I was going to buy you some kryptonite for your birthday. I guess that gift idea is shot to hell, thank you very much." _Jeff was somehow able to keep a 'straight face' while speaking with an almost scolding 'voice' as everyone in the small room glared at him for joking right now.

"_It wouldn't work on her anyway Jeff. She doesn't have enough active Kryptonian DNA for kryptonite to have any affect on her."_ Richard was quick to reply, relieved that one fatal flaw wasn't present in Shepard under normal circumstances anyway.

David was the first to grin as the sound of Anna's quiet voice filled everyone's mind. "_Well...I'll take what good news I can get Dick. And Joker, anything that runs on batteries is good enough."_ The collective groans and chuckles that comment got was enough to put a smile on Anna's face again. Jeff was just happy that no one noticed how red his cheeks were as he stuck his omni-tool screen, displaying a raunchy extranet site, in front of his face.

**Corbulo Memorial Hospital**

**April 25th , 2178**

**00:29 GST**

"So the Skipper's part kryptonian eh M'gann?" Ashley asked and shrugged as she cautiously watched the corridor ahead of them for any sign of movement. At the martian's mildly surprised look, the marine just smiled and tapped the side of her head. "You left us linked remember, and I didn't want to bring it up with you know who prowling around. I'm with Dick when it comes to anything to do with those two." She was referring to Talia and Ra's Al Ghul, and the young martian couldn't blame her in her mistrust because she didn't like the League of Shadows anymore than the marine did.

That wasn't the only reason they were talking in whispers though. They were being hunted by something incredibly insidious and considering that they were separated across a twisted version of the same hospital they had been staying since bringing Anna to Elysium, they had every reason to be nervous. Luckily, M'gann and Ashley had met up almost immediately upon arrival.

Joker quickly rounded the corner ahead of them and lowered his rifle to give them two thumbs up. "Hey guys. Still looking all sexy I see. Nice work."

"Back off Joker, I'm serious!" Ashley shouted as she aimed at the man's head. She had already met something that had unsettled her considerably, and the marine wasn't taking any chances.

"Whoa! Calm down Estrogenus Maximus!" Joker held out his arm for her to see. "Remember that nasty little cut you gave me, just in case?"

"Yeah, I do, that hurt like a motherfucker by the way Ashley." Jeff said as he used a flamethrower to bathe the fake 'Joker' in fire, having come out of a side hallway just in time to catch his double trying to take his place. "Did I ever mention I hated the Thing?!" He shouted, his finger locked on the trigger of his flamethrower as he torched the alien organism for all he was worth. As the alien roared in rage at him, Joker just sneered at it. "Yeah, bitch all you want asshole!"

"It's him!" M'gann shouted just as 'Joker', engulfed in flames, started shaking and split apart with a sickening sound as tendrils shot out of his chest and sides. They ended in razor sharp claw like protrusions, giving the creature an incredible reach. Thankfully, it never got to use its weapons on them as M'gann held it back with her telekinetic abilities while Ashley and the real Joker finished it off. Mental fire or not however, the martian had to take several steps back as sweat poured off of her, leaving the martian weak and disoriented until the flames started to die away.

"M'gann! You alright?" Ashley shouted as she joined her side a moment later, far more worried about her than anything else this place could throw at them. M'gann only nodded and pulled herself to her feet, knowing that they were nowhere near out of the woods yet. "Which way do we propose we go anyway? All these hallways twist and turn on themselves and they might look the same to the hospital we're staying in, but last I checked, the floor didn't become the ceiling twenty meters down."

"I don't know which way we have to go, I just know we have to find Anna before we can get out of this maze, and if these things are attacking us, then chances are they're after her too." M'gann was glad her weakness to fire wasn't long lasting, as that was the only way to properly deal with the insidious enemies placed throughout Psimon's twisted labyrinth.

"I know one thing for sure...we need to regroup and find the others first if we want to properly help Anna. I'll follow your lead M'gann, maybe you can figure out an easy way to tell us apart from them." Ashley suggested, hoping that there _was _an easy way to tell the Thing from their real friends, otherwise she had a very bad feeling they wouldn't get out of this one with their minds intact. The martian nodded but so far she had not been able to easily identify friend from foe, but she had only seen Joker's copy personally, and it had died too fast for her to get any useful information out of it.

"As long as they don't try to copy me again we're good. Being smiled at by another me is just too goddamn creepy for my taste." Then a thought came to Joker's mind as he turned his flamethrower towards Ashley. "Speaking of copies, how do we know you're who you say you are?"

"Don't be an asshole Joker." Ashley only rolled her eyes as she pushed past Jeff without a second thought. M'gann was only just able to suppress a giggle at the sight.

"Nope, definitely you. Only the real Williams can be a bitch and still make me stand at attention." Ashley was sorely tempted to knock the grin right off Joker's face, but it'd be much easier to get back at him once they got out of this mental hellhole. "What, no hug? I'm hurt Ash."

"Oh, you will be Joker." The marine grumbled under her breath, and again M'gann had to bite her tongue so she didn't laugh at their antics.

"Thank god! I never thought I'd find anyone else in this... What the hell? Why is she green? Ok...I've officially lost it." The three of them just stared at a man they'd never seen before, as Ashley and Jeff raised their weapons. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, it's bad for your health to point weapons at me...are those flamethrowers?" A confused look came across the man's face after a biotic Barrier formed around him.

"Stop! He's alright...I think. He accidentally stumbled upon us in the real world when I was pulling everyone into Anna's mind. I must have...accidentally pulled him in as well. Hello Megan!" M'gann hoped she had been fast enough to prevent her friends from frying the innocent bystander and breathed a sigh of relief when Ashley and Jeff lowered their weapons, although the biotic didn't immediately lower his Barrier. She honestly couldn't blame him. "I'm sorry you got mixed in with all of this. I must have...gotten a little overzealous."

"Not to be rude Miss, but what the hell are you talking about? One minute I'm checking on a...friend, and the next I'm in this carnival funhouse, minus the fun. Then I bump into you guys and instead of, oh I don't know saying 'Hello.', you looked tempted to fry me alive." He just sighed and finally lowered his Barrier when it was obvious from the looks on their faces that the three were more shocked than murderous.

"This is an everyday thing for us pal. Stick around, you'll be amazed what happens and the people you end up hanging around." Joker was quick to add in, tossing the young biotic his flamethrower before making another one appear seconds later. "Do yourself a favor; imagine that thing has a full tank of fuel. Trust me, you're gonna need it."

The man just looked down at the weapon, then towards the flamethrower that had appeared out of thin air in Jeff's hands. "Oh god no...I never even got out of BAaT did I? I'm just probably laying on a bed hooked up to a bunch of machines just like her..." There was a loud clatter as the flamethrower hit the ground at the man's feet before disappearing. "I've gone totally insane...and this is what it must be like?" A panicked laughing started to fill the dark corridor, as M'gann slowly walked over to the terrified man.

Gently putting her hands on either side of his face, the martian pulled his head up so that they were eye to eye. "I know this probably won't help you Mr. Alenko, but you aren't crazy." M'gann said as she met the man's gaze. "I could recite some of your deepest secrets but it would probably just reinforce the idea that you never got out of BAaT. I can prove you're very much sane and whole, but you have to trust me and trust what I'm about to show you." They were going to need everyone at their best, and having one of their party thinking he had fallen off the deep end was definitely dragging their chances down.

Kaidan Alenko never got a chance to protest as the young green girl's eyes started to glow green and his mind was flooded with images, memories that were not his own. It wasn't the whole story, not by a long shot, but when M'gann pulled away, Kaidan had snapped out of his panic induced state and was assaulted with dozens of feelings at once. Amazement was the chief among them, followed closely by sorrow and rage at what had been done to this woman's mind. If anyone could understand the consequences of mental abuse better than most, it was him. "When we get out of here, I want the whole story, Miss M'orzz was it?"

"You'll get it, I promise. And yep, that's my name. But you can call me Megan." M'gann smiled, swayed as she stood to her feet again, but she gently brushed Ashley's hand away as she helped Kaidan off the ground. "Now, I might as well get the bad news over with. Our friend is lost in this mental trap that was set for us. You saw our previous 'fights' against Psimon, so you know what's at stake now. If we can't find her before his minions do or they break through her defenses, she could be lost forever. She has no memory of you however, and we might be able to use that to our advantage."

"Okay...I've got the jist of this, it's making my head feel like jello, but I think I got it. How can we use the fact that your friend doesn't know me exactly?" The man said with a slightly pained and even more confused look on his face.

"As far as her damaged mind is concerned, you're a ghost, able to move unmolested. You don't need to fear being attacked by Psimon's mental constructs or her own until Anna has seen you for the first time in either world." Before Kaidan brought up some of their more recent volunteers, M'gann filled in the blanks for him. "Kevin and Aya were introduced to her in this world and that's why they were immediately set upon like we were every time before."

"Um...so I'm just supposed to sneak around this place by myself until I find your friend? How will I even know if it's her?" Kaidan nervously rubbed the back of his neck as he contemplated just how crazy that sounded.

"Oh you'll know; Anna's unforgettable, trust me newbie." Ashley smirked while Joker snickered behind her. "In all honesty, I doubt these things would try to copy her since they're trying to kill her essentially. From what I've seen of this Psimon prick, he'd rather make sure the damage he did stayed permanent even if he isn't around anymore to enjoy his efforts."

The nonplussed looks M'gann's friends gave him didn't really fill Alenko with confidence. "O...kay. So how am I going to find her, this place is immense! It could take days, maybe weeks to search through every room."

"Psimon made sure _we _couldn't cheat our way to her, but your presence here has made any measures he put in place useless. He didn't anticipate someone accidentally stumbling across one of these sessions, so there's nothing stopping you from cheating. Open your mind Kaidan, use the memories I gave you, and try to locate her. Think of it like rewriting Psimon's mental program for this trap."

Kaidan snapped his fingers a moment later. "Oh! Like pulling a Kobayashi Maru?!"

"Jesus..." Jeff put his forehead in his hand before shaking his head and looking back up at Alenko. "You gotta be kidding me. Richard and him are going to get along just fine, I can already tell." Joker rolled his eyes as his imagination supplied the rest. "Next thing you know, we'll be fighting Borg on the Enterprise." M'gann was having a very hard time keeping a straight face by this point as Jeff did his best but thankfully silent Borg impression.

"Please stop giving the bad guys better ideas on how to kill us Joker, or your screaming for help is going to be the thing that's futile when we get out of here. It's bad enough we have to keep pointing our guns at each other in this maze anytime one of us slips out of sight for even a few minutes." Ashley was quick to retort, only growing increasingly frustrated that they were standing around and not actually doing anything.

"Just close your eyes and concentrate on Annabell Shepard, Kaidan." Kaidan nodded and did as the martian asked. Everyone around him was mercifully quiet, until Joker just had to be sarcastic.

"Open your mind...open your mind..." Kaidan just glared at the pilot for a second before he closed his eyes again and ignored him, focusing only on Shepard. "Start the react- ow!" By this point, Ashley had had enough and punched Jeff in the shoulder.

At almost the exact moment things were quiet again, Kaidan felt something as he saw a glimmer of light which quickly transformed into Annabell Shepard. Seeming to sense him, she turned her gaze on him, a Barrier wrapped around herself and the mound of flesh she was standing in front of as dozens of creatures tried to reach her in what looked like an operating room. "I don't know who you are newbie, but get your ass in here! I can't hold these bastards off forever!"

Kaidan reached out towards the woman in his mind and grabbed onto her offered hand. He had intended to pull her to him and out of danger, but instead wound up being pulled to her with M'gann, Ashley, and Joker in tow. They weren't the only ones either as Richard appeared on the other side of the room, along with David and Artemis. There was a loud rumble as something exploded off in the distance, and Richard had a feeling it was Ra's and Talia trying to blast their way through the barriers, but he wasn't too concerned about them as the alien creatures noticed the new arrivals. "Um guys? Scatter!"

"Bout damn time you showed up by the way!" Anna shouted, not about to question her good fortune as a great deal of the pressure was taken off of her Barrier when the majority of the creatures ran after her friends who were already busy picking them off. Anna quickly looked at her new 'guest' as he ran up to her Barrier and raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "Something I can help you with there, Tall Dark and Clueless?

"Let me get back to you on that ma'am." Kaidan replied as he ducked a scythe like claw and snapped the offending arm off with a biotic infused punch before Slamming the creature into the ceiling above, just in time for Joker to fry it as it fell at his feet. "Okay, here's what I need you to do. Drop your Barrier." Anna looked at the man as if he had grown a second head, and in the case of one of the creatures, that was about to happen until Richard threw an explosive batarang into its new mouth.

"Um...I'm gonna say _no_ to that Sparky. Wait, let me rephrase that, _hell no_!" Anna sternly told him as Kaidan watched with a concerned expression as sections of her Barrier started to fail. "Uhhh...I held out this long...I'm not about to let these things or some guy I don't even know...get close enough to finish what that bastard started."

"Anna, quit being a stubborn bitch and let him throw a Barrier over you already!" Artemis shouted as she fired at the ceiling, shattering the window above them so that shards of razor sharp glass rained down on the freaks before putting an incendiary arrow into the chest of one of the bigger beasts.

"Anna, Artemis is right, please let Mr. Alenko help you. I'll be able to reach you as well once you drop the Barrier and we can leave this place." M'gann said with confidence as Shepard grunted in effort and turned her gaze to the young martian. "Please Anna, I'm so close, just trust him for a moment, I know he won't betray you."

"He wouldn't maybe, but you would." The copy of M'gann snarled at the unwanted interruption when the real M'gann flew into the operating room and slammed the fake into the wall with enough force to break through it. Hovering in the shattered window frame, it became obvious as to how the fake had been so successful in its duplicity when everyone's eyes fell on the real M'gann's right side, where the fake had managed to dig one of its claws into her. "I'm fine...just keep that _thing _away from her!"

"I would have made it swift and painless; a quick stab through the chest, and your suffering would have been over. Now I get to enjoy myself." The copy of M'gann said as it morphed into a familiar form. A smiling Psimon casually made his way towards Shepard, batting aside the biotic blast of energy Kaidan had tried to hit him with, not to mention two arrows and a batarang. "Don't worry, I'm still just a shade, I can't directly harm you, but that doesn't mean my constructs can't. I'm merely borrowing one to fight you right now if you're curious."

"Gah! I hate it when the bad guy insists on explaining his 'evil master plan', it's just so...cliched." Psimon's smile only widened as Joker sent a stream of fire his way, leaving the remnant of Psimon's mind unharmed while his construct melted into a puddle of ooze.

"Try blocking bullets Psimon! Last time I checked, you weren't very successful at that!" David shouted as he and Ashley unloaded incendiary rounds into the shade's form, keeping him occupied and unable to possess anymore of the few remaining creatures around them. The rest of the group didn't waste time in dismantling them, leaving Psimon with nowhere to go as the last of the aliens melted down and disappeared.

"Very clever. But this isn't over, so enjoy your victory while you can." Psimon glared at Kaidan with utter disgust before he disappeared, as did the labyrinth like hospital he had put together for this very occasion. "Next time, you won't be cheating your way out of an unpleasant demise...Anna."

"Go to Hell." Anna growled as she watched the scene change to one she was quite familiar with and breathed a sigh of relief when it became clear there weren't anymore surprises when her family's farmhouse returned once more. Falling to her hands and knees, Anna's mental projection disappeared into her current 'body' just as M'gann limped her way to her side. "Slow down M'gann, you're hurt."

Still holding her hand against her right side where the alien had cut her deeply, M'gann slumped over, just as Anna caught her in her arms. "Here, let me help her. Does anyone have a med-" Kaidan looked at the multiple med kits being offered to him and quickly grabbed one. "Just hold her steady, I hope medi-gel still works here, wherever the hell we are." Alenko grabbed a vail of the substance as well as a few other items and quickly began to treat M'gann's wound.

"It's...Anna's Mindoir, or her happier memories of it." M'gann, as predictable as ever, had taken Kaidan's sarcastic comment seriously. "It was able to copy me so completely...because it had physical contact with me. I could feel it in my mind...it was sickening." No one had asked out loud how it had happened, but it was on everyone's mind. "Psimon is more clever than I gave him credit for...you, you called out to me David, and before I realized the mistake I had made...this happened." M'gann motioned to the now sealed wounded as Kaidan continued his work. "We have to be more careful. Any closer to the left..."

Any closer to the left and that claw would have gotten the martian through her heart. "And you wouldn't be here now." David growled, wanting to destroy Psimon all over again. He took a moment to calm down as he placed a hand on Kaidan's shoulder. "How's she doing son? We can get you anything you need in this place if a med kit won't do the job."

"I think she's going to be fine, provided medi-gel works with...well martian physiology. That's something I thought I'd never say. Just take it easy for a while M'gann, let the drugs kick in before you try to move." The wound needed time to seal up and the local anesthetic needed time to dull the pain she was likely feeling. No one doubted that Kaidan was still in shock and was simply doing his best to ignore what he had gotten himself into by doing what he knew best.

"I believe my father and the C-Sec officer could benefit from some 'medical attention' as well." Talia said as she forced Ra's, who was holding his arm in muted pain, to sit on the ground. Garrus had taken a slash across his left eye and had lost part of his cheek on that side as well, but he shrugged it off and didn't seem too concerned about it, although the look on what was left of his face told them that it hurt considerably.

"Damn...Officer you're first, get over here and sit down." Garrus didn't get a chance to debate him as Kaidan glared at the turian until he finally sighed and gave in. While Kaidan worked, he got considerably more chatty. "So what exactly is going on? I got the general idea, but if I'm going to be a part of this, I need to know what I got myself involved in."

"Nothing good, that's for damn sure." Kevin griped as Aya did her best to put her brother back together. Ironically, the two had being dropped straight into the nearby corn maze and had to limp back over to the others. A broken arm and a sprained ankle were the worst of his own injuries, but the number of bruises and scrapes he had sustained in that last encounter made it feel a great deal worse. "I still envy you Commander Anderson, at least you got to put a bullet in the actual bastard behind all of this." He smirked after a loud yelp of pain as Aya reset his arm. "Make that bullets, if I recall the story correctly."

"I had considered throwing his remains on the ground and smashing the man's brain under my boot. I really like these boots though. Had to go with plan B." His humor was well received, but the wounded martian wasn't so sure handling the mad psychic's physical remains would have been such a good idea.

Even with Anna trying to keep her laying down, M'gann gently forced herself into a sitting position and looked towards everyone around them. "It's probably a good thing that you didn't David. Touching Psimon even with armored gloves on might have been comparable to sticking your hand on an electrified fence. I should have warned you..." The shame filled expression on her face slowly disappeared when she felt Ashley's hand on her shoulder.

"You were seeing red at the time M'gann, we all were. I think Psimon had hoped one of us would have made that mistake if you want my opinion." Ashley said as she took a seat by Anna and her favorite martian. "Just out of curiousity, what would have happened if someone had touched his demented brain?"

"His conscious mind would have taken over. It wouldn't have happened all at once, but slowly and surely, whoever touched him would have been taken over by him. It's not beyond imagination, not when you're desperate enough. Desperation can lend strength when you need it most." They had seen a variation of that first hand when M'gann had gone ballistic back on Akuze. Ra's showed no outward reaction, but he was just as repulsed by the idea of being slowly consumed by such a devious enemy as Psimon as everyone else was.

"We will exorcise this poor excuse of a man from you yet Lt. Shepard, so that you need not worry about him any longer." Ra's would be lying if he said he hadn't enjoyed this experience on at least some minor level. It had been decades since he had committed to a course of action, solely because of his most basic principles. He found it...refreshing. "When this is over, and you are able to join our war against Cerberus, there might not be much left for you to do if I have my say in the days to come. Their days are numbered, I can assure you. I wish you the best of luck in returning the boy to the young martian girl. Even a blind man could see the utter devotion she has for this 'Connor'. Like war, young love it seems, never changes.

If he had said anything of the sort before he had joined them in their fight against Psimon, M'gann might have erased Ra's Al Ghul from existence. However, even Richard had started to tolerate the Demon's Head to some degree, and M'gann merely nodded while Anna replied to the assassin.

It became apparent that she had had enough of the man's constant degrading remarks, veiled as mere statements of fact as they were. "As soon as I'm outta here, you better hope I don't catch any of your people again. So far, all I've heard is talk from you Ra's. You've proven yourself in a fight in _here_, but out there, what are you exactly? An old man that's long past his expiration date. You insult my friends, my family with every other word that comes out of your mouth and then try to put on the facade that just because you 'cheated death' that you're better than everyone else."

"I would watch what you say Annabell Shepard." While he cast in irritated expression, Ra's was reminded of his daughter from the fire in Shepard's eyes. If she was indeed to be a hindrance in the future, he welcomed the idea of a worthy foe. "It would be a shame to throw away all the efforts of your friends and even myself, should you have an unfortunate but untimely demise."

"I've been through literal Hell. How about I show you, you pompous ass!" The farm disappeared to be replaced by dozens of window pane like projections that showed just what Psimon had done to her. Even Ra's had no ready comeback as the horrors Psimon inflicted on her were played back all around them. He had made the mistake of testing her patience to its limit, and now he and everyone was being shown just what kind of Hell the psychic had subjected her to as Mindoir burned to the ground in countless different ways, and those were some of the gentler things Psimon had forced her to endure.

The fact that they were almost deafened by the amount of explosions, gunfire, and screams that echoed around them only helped to reinforce just how depraved Psimon had gotten before they had put an end to him. M'gann wanted to be sick, Richard was already in the midst of throwing his guts up, Artemis couldn't tear her eyes away from what Anna was showing them, but David merely clenched his fists and dared Ra's to say another word. Kaldur found himself staring at the grass, trying his best to avert his gaze from the terrible images surrounding him.

"That could have easily been me father." Talia could just be heard whispering as the shattering moment played out last when Psimon had forced Anna to shoot her own family. "I think it's past time you stopped antagonizing them. No more threats, veiled or otherwise. She can't be intimidated anyway, not after enduring that!" Ra's knew his daughter was right as he looked away from the last 'window' that had appeared just as the farm on Mindoir started to return.

"Anything you can think to threaten me with won't work. And if you do happen to carry out your threats, YOU can be assured that your entire organization will be brought to its knees. I don't care how long it might take, but I will see you dead if any of them so much as ends up with a paper cut caused by you or one of your people." He didn't need her friends and father standing in front of her to know that Ra's would have an unified front to contend with if he did try to retaliate against Anna Shepard in any way.

While everyone's eyes were locked on Ra's or Anna, M'gann eyes suddenly widened and she yelled to get their attention. "He's here! Get ready, I'm going to push all of you out-" Before the martian could finish, Talia dropped to the dirt moments before everyone was 'woken' up at the same time as their minds rejoined with their respective bodies. Before Ra's and those in his daughter's room could begin to react to what had been done to her, a horrified scream could be heard across the hall. Richard was the first to see the sword in the assassin's hands, covered in crimson from Talia and now Kevin's open necks.

From the way Kevin's body was sprawled out on the floor at the assassin's feet, it only took Richard a few seconds to realize he had tried to jump Kai Leng before being cut down. "I had a feeling you'd wake if I started killing your friends. I have orders to kill Shepard as well, but I think I can amuse myself with you first." He couldn't have picked a worse room to hit as Richard all but flew at Leng's face. He narrowly avoided the sword as he flipped over the assassin's back, pulling him over and down along the way so he'd be out in the hall and away from his friends. Leng just noticed the small explosive that Richard had planted on his sword's hilt on his way by before throwing the blade at Richard's back after regaining his feet.

Nightwing was out of reach of the sword, but not the small explosion that followed him. He fell head over heels as the blastwave slammed into him, throwing him against the elevators at the end of the hall. By then, Leng was fighting one incredibly pissed off Artemis Lian Crock. "Your profile doesn't do you justice Artemis, daughter to Sportsmaster and Huntress, as well as sister to Cheshire. I thought you'd be faster though." Leng grinned at the enraged archer as he blocked every strike sent his way.

"Shut up!" Artemis shouted as she kicked flipped off of his face, shooting as she flew backward only to gasp in shock when he caught her arrow with one hand. It was the Dark Archer all over again, except Leng took things a step further. He rushed her before she could land and shoved her own arrow into her right lung, effectively ending any hope she had of continuing the fight as she fell back and gasped for air. If someone didn't pull it out in the next few minutes, Artemis would end up drowning in her own blood.

"That's four down Kaldur'ahm, in thirty seconds. What hope do you have?" The tell tale sound of the Atlantean powering up his Water Bearers was all that Kai Leng needed to hear to know who was up next, but upon turning around, he was surprised to see that Kaldur wasn't alone. David, Aya, Ashley, Garrus, Ra's, M'gann, and Jeff, limping over to them with a pistol in his right hand, all aimed at the arrogant Cerberus Operative.

"More than you think assassin." Kaldur all but growled, worried about Artemis and Richard even though he wanted nothing more than to tear Kai Leng apart. Aya however, he knew without having to look at the young asari's face, would most likely get to him first.

"Looks like I've overstayed my welcome. The thing about good assassins, we never travel alone. Isn't that right Ra's Al Ghul?" If he was expecting someone to cover his escape or to help him continue the fight, Kai Leng was sorely disappointed when nothing happened. "Where are you going?!" He shouted into his comms, right before a drell's face appeared over his right arm, projected from his omni-tool.

"I do not murder innocent civilians nor children Leng. Tell Mr. Luthor my contract is null and void, and that he would be wise to never contact me again, if you survive that is." The almost amused look on the drell's face was the last thing Kai Leng saw of his backstabbing partner who had a far stronger moral code than the assassin himself it seemed.

"That is why I removed you from the League of Shadows, Leng. I do not know who your partner was, but he has far more honor and follows orders to the letter, unlike you. You put our entire operation at risk to satisfy your need for blood, and now you've killed the one thing that kept you alive." Ra's voice was surprisingly cool, but it didn't take a mind reader to know that underneath the calm veneer, the man was on the verge of an explosive and maddening rage.

"Sorry I didn't get the chance to slit your throat too old man." Leng's smirk quickly disappeared as his body became completely unresponsive. An all too familiar dark blue glow surrounded the assassin, but the source was from someone new.

"You know...I've only known these people for an hour at best, but you just fucked with the wrong marine's friends pal." Kaidan walked around the motionless man to stare him in the eye, before turning to the others. "I assume all of you can deal with this, I'll go see what I can do for Richard and Artemis." A sad look passed over Alenko's face as he saw Talia and Kevin, before running over to assist Artemis first.

"I'm going to make you suffer for what you did!" Aya hissed as she trapped Leng in a Barrier the moment Kaidan's Stasis fell. M'gann had already seen what the asari had in mind, but she was still too weak from taking that hit from Psimon earlier to stop the asari even if she had wanted to, and the martian found she didn't want to stop Aya in the least.

"Just so you know, your brother died screaming like a baby as I slit his throat from ear to ear. The funny thing was, he begged for you to save him. Guess you were a little late. Gaaagghhhh- " Aya's Barrier had started to collapse around Leng, the asari's rage giving her the precise control she needed to accomplish the feat as she literally crushed the life out of the bastard that had taken her brother from her.

"Someone should stop this sir." Ashley said and was about to try to do just that until David put a hand on her shoulder. She couldn't begin to imagine what Aya was going through, but that didn't make what was happening right. Still, the marine didn't try again although it was clear on her face that she wouldn't forget it either. If Garrus hadn't been busy helping Kaidan with Artemis, he'd have done something himself, but trying to keep the girl stable and steady while the medic did his best to remove her own arrow from her chest was all his attention span could handle.

The dark blue glow around the young asari was almost as frightening to behold as the look on her face. It was strangely serene, devoid of any emotion, almost as if she were crushing a fly under her boot. An earsplitting scream erupted from the man as Aya proceeded to literally crush him ever so slowly. Everyone flinched at the sound of crunching and snapping bones, but Ra's merely observed as his daughter's murderer was slowly ground into dust. David had to look away by the time the Barrier had reached the size of a soccer ball, but Ra's never moved a muscle. Aya let what remained of Leng fall to the floor in a bloody puddle of bones and smashed organs. Only then did the asari collapse to her hands and knees before giant crocodile tears started to fall from her eyes as she screamed at the loss of her brother.

Some say revenge is a dish best served cold. What they don't tell you is that this 'dish' does nothing to fill the void left behind by a lost loved one. Richard knew, and while he hadn't taken revenge as Aya had, he still knew what it was like to lose family as he took in the scene in front of him. After he had slowly gotten back to his feet, he walked over to her and gently rested a hand on the sobbing asari's shoulder. "Aya...I'm...I'm so sorry-"

"Fat lot of good it does me to hear you say that. He's dead...dead! And all you can do is say you're sorry?!" The commando violently pulled away from the boy as she stood up and walked over to her brother. As she slumped down next to him on the floor, Aya held Kevin in her arms with tear filled eyes before gently caressing his hair. "He died...helping you on this fool's errand. I hope she's worth it Kaldur'ahm, because if you and Garrus hadn't come to us, he'd still be alive." Her words cut Kaldur deeper than Kai Leng's blade could have ever hoped.

"You're a fool to take your anger out on them Ms. Destefano. Save your anger for those more deserving of it." Before anyone could protest, Ra's held up a hand to silence them after he had walked away from his daughter's bedside. "Cerberus, more specifically Lex Luthor, is to blame for this, not your friend's allies or Kaldur'ahm himself." Ra's bowed deeply to her before looking Aya in the eye and continuing. "You killed my daughter's murderer. Join me, and I promise you shall receive the proper satisfaction of seeing Cerberus and Luthor utterly annihilated for their crimes against you child."

"Save your praise for someone that cares _human_." Aya all but spat out. "As far as I'm concerned, Cerberus is only part of the problem. You made that animal, so why shouldn't I simply kill you?!" Ra's patiently stood his ground, even as the asari's biotics flared to life once again. He knew exactly what was going through her mind, having lost his fair share of loved ones before this. Even as she tried to slam a blue glowing fist through his face, Ra's merely grabbed her arm and stopped her attack before she got close.

"Shall I tell you how many loved ones I've buried Ms. Destefano? I was once but a man many centuries ago, living a nomadic life across the Arabian Desert, but one day I found something. A pool of green liquid, a mixture of chemicals that extended life, and when I used it to help the ruling Sultan's Prince, I lost my wife to the Prince's madness upon exiting the Pit. Instead of admitting to his son's crime, I was exiled and left to die, but as you can see, I survived. I took my revenge against a corrupt ruler and the city itself when I rejoined my old tribe. From there my organization grew, but I never forgot what happened, or what followed. I am offering you a way to channel your rage and grief against those that are truly at fault so that you do not become the same thing Kai Leng did." He had a feeling she wouldn't take his offer, but in his own way, Ra's was trying to help Aya before she became permanently lost.

Aya just coldly stared at the man a moment before lifting her brother in her arms and turning away. She only stopped for a moment when Garrus lightly grabbed her and lowered his head in shame. "Aya...I-"

Aya glared at the turian before pulling away from him. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" Garrus didn't know what frightened him more, the look of pure rage on Aya's tear stained face, or the fact her scream had been directed solely at him. "You and your _friends _can rot for eternity Vakarian. You better hope I never see your face or Kaldur's again." With that last venom filled sentence, Aya walked towards the elevator without a second look back to the dumbfounded group behind her.

"Aya, wait! Don't do this, let us help you!" Richard ran after the grieving sibling, hoping to talk her down, but as he neared the elevator doors, a biotic burst of energy sent him sliding across the floor on his back. The last he saw of Aya was a hate filled glare as the doors closed between them.

"I can't reach her mind, it's completely closed off to me." Even if she had been at full strength, M'gann doubted she could have touched Aya's mind. The most she got now were the powerful emotions that radiated off of the asari like a sickness.

Karin Chakwas had waited until the worst was over to walk up to Ra's only to glare at him for the deception before looking to where his daughter still laid. Joker had since been helped to the ground by Ashley and David, but the doctor had eyes only for Artemis as she looked at Kaidan's handiwork. "You did good Mr. Alenko. We need to get her to a scanner and make sure there's nothing you missed. And Mr. Al Ghul, _we _are going to have a talk about you turning this hospital into a warzone." Ra's would normally not allow someone to order him around, but today was a rare day for the Demon's Head.

_Author's Notes: _

_Archer83: I can't tell you how much we agonized over the end to this chapter, but fate is cruel sometimes and we wanted to reflect that in the story. Ra's is going to end up being a much needed ally in the future, his rage and grief will drive him towards more constructive ideals. Aya...on the other hand...will be driven to a dark place. Things will slowly start to improve for Anna and company at least._

_Vergil1989; "Beware, beware of the words I twist. I'm small but my reach is long." Lol sorry, couldn't resist. In all seriousness, we had considered keeping our increasingly growing number of characters alive, but after some debate, we decided we needed to throw our own Red Wedding. And let us say it shan't be the last Red Wedding we throw either._

_As someone once said, 'the night is dark and full of terrors.', and while things might improve for the moment, we all know what's in their future. AU as this might be, the future is bleak even with with what we have in store to balance the odds in the heroes' favor._


End file.
